BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior T.J. Atwood scored a game-high 22 points, and junior Avery Sullivan scored 14 and pulled down 10 rebounds as Lamar University defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 79-62, Saturday afternoon at the Montagne Center in Beaumont. The victory marked head coach Tic Price's 100^th win at LU, as the Cardinals (15-13/9-8 Southland) took another step toward locking up a spot in the SLC Championship tournament next month in Katy.
 
Price is the school's fourth all-time winningest coach just behind Jack Martin, Pat Foster and Billy Tubbs.
 
"We knew Corpus Christi was hungry coming into this game," said Price. "The game was just as important to them as it was to us. We felt a sense of urgency coming into the day. They got us at their place earlier this year, so we felt like we needed to show them we could bounce back. Our guys wanted to show them what we're made of. I thought we showed some true character this afternoon."
 
Atwood and Sullivan led an offense that shot nearly 43 percent from the field. The Cardinals converted 23-of-54 attempts, including five three-pointers – four of which belonged to sophomore Davion Buster. LU also took advantage of their attempts at free throw line knocking down 28-of-34 (.824) attempts. Buster added 17 points while senior V.J. Holmes netted 16.
 
The Cardinals also outrebounded A&M-Corpus Christi, 29-15, including 12 offensive boards which led to 13 second-chance points. The Red and White also forced the Islanders into 29 turnovers which they cashed it for 26 points.
 
"We had four guys in double figures, so we shot the ball well, but the most important stat from today is that we forced 29 turnovers," said Price.  "I thought we were active today with our hands anticipating passes."
 
The Islanders outshot LU Saturday converting 24-of-44 (.545) attempts, including an 8-of-19 (.421) effort from long range. The Islanders were led by 14 points from Jordan Hairston and 10 from Myles Smith.
 
The game was close through the opening six minutes of action. Tied at 11, the Cardinals rattled off a 15-1 run to take a 26-12 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. The run was capped by a Buster fast break three-pointer. The Islanders managed to get the deficit back to single digits but could get no closer than nine as Big Red took an 11-point lead into the locker room.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi struck first in the second half with a Nolan Bertain triple. The basket sparked a run, but not the way Corpus Christi hoped. Following the three, LU rattled off a 13-5 run to extend their advantage to 16 points with less than 15 to play. After the Islanders fought to trim the lead back to 10, LU went on another run and pushed their lead to 20 with less than four to play. That was all the Cardinals needed as they held off A&M-Corpus Christi for Price's 100^th win.
 
The Cardinals return to action Wednesday to take on UIW. The game against the Southland's other Cardinals will begin at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It will also be broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI.