SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Senior T.J. Atwood scored a team-high 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Lamar University (10-10/4-5 Southland) to an 89-77 victory over UIW Wednesday evening at the McDermott Center in San Antonio. LU led by as many as 27 points before UIW rallied late but outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.
 
"We wanted to pressure the ball coming into the game tonight, and I thought we did a good job of that at times," said LU head coach Tic Price following the game. "We still need to learn how to finish a game. We knew they wouldn't quit just because they were down double-digits. Give them credit because they kept fighting.
 
"We don't have time to celebrate this win because we have another tough opponent coming up Saturday. Stephen F. Austin has a very talented team so we have to start getting ready for them now," added Price.
 
The Cardinals finished the night shooting 33-of-59 (.559) from the field, including a 7-of-16 (.438) effort from three-point range. The Cardinals also won the battle on the glass, but the real advantage came in turnovers. LU forced 22 turnovers and converted those mistakes into 36 points. Big Red turned the ball over 17 times but limited UIW to just 16 points off the turnovers.
 
UIW shot 48 percent from the field but managed to hang in the game due to their accuracy from long range. San Antonio's version of the Cardinals converted 12-of-27 (.444) three-pointer attempts.
 
In addition to Atwood's double-double, senior V.J. Holmes and sophomore Davion Buster tacked on 18. Freshman Anderson Kopp added 12 points, while junior Avery Sullivan and freshman David Muoka scored eight. UIW was led by 25 points from Drew Lutz.
 
After starting 3-of-7 from the field, LU hit four of their next six attempts to take a 21-13 lead. UIW responded with a 17-6 run to take a five-point lead – their largest of the game. LU was able to put a stop to the run following an offensive rebound which led to an Atwood dunk. The basket sparked a 14-0 run and the Cardinals restored order taking a 10-point advantage with 3:41 remaining in the half. It would be a lead the good guys wouldn't surrender. The Cardinals pushed their lead to as many as 16 before taking a 14-point lead into the locker room, 48-34.
 
LU was 19-of-34 (.559) from the field in the opening half, including a 4-of-10 (.400) effort from three-point range. The Cardinals big advantage came on the defensive end of the floor where they forced UIW into 14 first-half turnovers which they converted into 23 points.
 
UIW also shot the ball well in the opening half converting nearly 55 percent of their attempts including five three-pointers but were unable to overcome the turnovers.
 
The Cardinals increased their lead to as many as 27 in the second half before UIW tried to rally late. Two LU turnovers led to consecutive UIW threes and sparked a 12-0 run to trim the deficit. The Southland's other Cardinals continued to press with LU's freshmen on the court but the outcome was never in doubt.
 
The Cardinals return to action Saturday when they host league-leading Stephen F. Austin in the Montagne Center. The game against the Lumberjacks will tip off at 4:30 p.m. and be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.