BEAUMONT, Texas – ­­The Lamar University men's basketball team picked up a much needed victory Wednesday evening in San Antonio against the University of the Incarnate Word. Prior to that game the Cardinals had dropped five of their previous seven games. Big Red responded to the recent setbacks by jumping out to a big first half lead and riding that advantage to a league road win. Now the Cardinals turn their attention to an even tougher task in the form of the Southland Conference leading Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
 
The Lumberjacks enter the weekend showdown as the Southland's lone remaining team with just one loss. SFA (16-3/7-1 SLC) has been dominate in 2019-20 and it all got started with an earlier season stunner over then No. 1 Duke. The Lumberjacks arrive in Beaumont having won three straight and nine of their last 10. The lone setback during that stretch is a one-point loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Nacogdoches.
 
The Cardinals are currently tied with the Islanders for eighth in the standings. LU (10-10/4-5 SLC) pulled back to .500 on the season with their win over the Southland's other Cardinals. The Red and White are just a half game back of sixth place in the standings, and a game and a half back of fifth overall. The Cardinals are currently 1.5 games up on Southeastern Louisiana in the conference chase.
 
The Lumberjacks have been getting it done at both ends of the floor through the first half of conference play. SFA leads the league averaging 82 points per game offensively, and fourth in the league surrendering just 67.6 points per game to opponents. The Cardinals are averaging 71.2 points per game but over the course of the past four games Big Red has seen that number rise surpassing their average three times during that stretch which includes a 100-point outing.
 
Against UIW, sophomore Davion Buster returned to his normal production scoring 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from long range. He was joined in double figures by seniors T.J. Atwood and V.J. Holmes. Atwood recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season, while Holmes continues his hot shooting netting 18 points. Holmes is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career averaging 17 points in the team's past four games.
 
The Lumberjacks enter the game with the Southland's second leading scorer in the form of Keavon Harris. The Elmwood, Ga., native is averaging better than 18 points per game. He is shooting nearly 39 percent from three-point range. Harris is one of three Lumberjacks averaging in double figures on the season.
 
The Cardinals trail the all-time series to Stephen F. Austin, 29-35 (.453), but the Cardinals have had the upper hand in recent years. The Cardinals have won the previous four meetings having swept the past two season series against the Lumberjacks. Big Red is 18-14 (.563) all-time against the Lumberjacks in Beaumont. The Cardinals are coming off a two-point victory at home in the series last year.
 
Saturday's contest is slated to tip off at 4:30 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.