ABILENE, Texas – With a career-high 29 points for Sophomore Angel Hastings, the Cardinals fell to Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon in the Moody Coliseum, 78-72

The Wildcats' offense took a 12-point lead into the first quarter media, and the Cardinals took advantage of the break. After the break, Lamar went on a 6-0 run to bring the game back within two, but that was not enough as Abilene Christian's Breanna Wright was lights out as she went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats took a 23-18 lead into the second.

The Cardinals turned to sophomore Angel Hastings and redshirt senior Amber Vidal to help get the offense back on track. The duo turned out 19 points combined in the first half. Vidal added four rebounds and a block in the first half to help Lamar pull to within nine at half, 42-31.

The Cardinal offense found some light during the final quarters as Hastings went 5-for-5 in the third, including some clutch three pointers heading into the fourth quarter. She finished the afternoon with a career-high 29 points.

Junior Jadyn Pimentel added to her steal total with four on the afternoon. Her season total comes to 50 and moves into the Top 5 nationally in steals.

From Coach Aqua Franklin:

On the team's performance and the game overall:

"I am very proud of our effort today, and how hard we fought after a short turn around and long travel. If we play this way every game, we will not lose anymore games. Hats off to Abilene Christian, they are a well-coached team that makes very few mistakes and capitalizes on their opponent's mistakes."

On Angel Hastings' performance and career-high 29 points:

"Angel had herself a game today. She was in attack mode from the tip. Once ACU stopped the drive, she then took what was open and her teammates did a great job of finding her for the three. She allowed the game to come to her, instead of forcing it. Angel's energy is contagious, and her teammates follow her."

Getting Buckets: Sophomore Angel Hastings recorded a new career-high of 29 points on 9-21 shooting. She finished the afternoon shooting 5-for-11 from the perimeter.

Up Next: Lamar will make the trek to Thibodaux, La. to finish off a two-game road stand against Nicholls. The meeting marks the 41^st time the programs have met. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT).