BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University steps on the court Thursday with an opportunity to wash the bittersweet tasted from its mouth after a heartbreaking overtime loss at Southeastern Louisiana. The Cardinals (4-12/0-3 Southland) battled back early from a double-digit deficit in Hammond to tie the game with six-tenths of a second remaining only to fall in overtime.
 
The shorthanded Cardinals are one of two league schools still looking for their first win of the season but have had to deal with overwhelming injuries in the low post. Big Red enters the week tied for ninth in the conference standings just a game back of two schools and only two back of second place.
 
Nicholls (7-8/2-1 SLC) is one of five schools tied for second in the conference standings just a game back of the league leaders, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Colonels played a tough non-conference schedule that included Arizona, Wyoming, BYU, Texas Tech, Mississippi State and Baylor, and came just two points shy of knocking off the 17^th-ranked Bulldogs.
 
The Colonels got off to a great start in league play winning their first two games before dropping a 20-point decision at Northwestern State. Nicholls enters Thursday's game having dropped three of their last five games, and the Colonels have struggled on the road this year dropping seven of eight games away from Thibodaux.
 
The all-time series between the two programs is in favor of LU, 27-15 (.643), but the Colonels have won the last four meetings dating back to the 2018-19 season. Big Red has been dominant in Beaumont posting a 17-6 (.739) record in home games.
 
Thursday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 and streamed live on ESPN3.