BATON ROUGE, La. – Lamar University turned the ball over 15 times in the first half which LSU converted into 16 points as the Tigers built a double-digit first half lead and maintained that lead in the second half for an 87-66 victory.
 
The Cardinals settled down after halftime and only turned the ball over four times, but the deficit was too much to overcome as LU drops to 5-7 (.417) on the season with one more game remaining in non-conference play.
 
Lamar shot the ball well through the contest despite their issues holding onto the ball. Big Red finished the game 26-of-60 (.433) from the field, including six three-pointers. Lamar had four players in double-figures led by Ja'Sean Jackson's 14 points (6-of-9 shooting) off the bench.
 
Lamar outshot LSU (in terms of percentage) who ended the game 31-of-72 (.431), including nine threes. The Tigers also had four players in double figures led by Jalen Cook's 17 points.
 
The Cardinals shot the ball well in the first half knocking down 10 of their first 20 attempts and finished the half 11-of-24 (.458), but that wasn't enough to overcome 15 first half turnovers. LSU took advantage of the miscues converting them into 16 points. On the flip side, Lamar forced LSU into four turnovers in the opening 20 but did not score.
 
LSU was 16-of-37 (.432) from the field in the first half but struggled from long range going 5-of-21 (.238). The Cardinals held serve on the glass getting outrebounded by just two, 19-17, in the opening stanza.
 
LSU used the turnovers to open the game with a 12-point lead. After seeing their advantage grow to as many as 13 points, the Cardinals came fighting right back. Big Red trimmed the deficit down to just eight following an Adam Hamilton layup off an inbound. Unfortunately, LSU responded by outscoring the Cardinals, 17-6, over the final 6:19 of the half to take a 45-26 lead into the locker room.
 
While the Cardinals cut down on the turnovers in the second half, LSU picked up its shooting to start the half. The Tigers saw their lead grow to as many as 30 before the Red and White began to chip away at the deficit. Lamar got back within 17 on a Terry Anderson three-pointer with just over five minutes to play but it was too little too late as LSU didn't allow Lamar to make a serious run in the closing minutes.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 30^th when they close out the non-conference portion of their schedule against Paul Quinn College. The game against Paul Quinn will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 and streamed live on ESPN+.