BEAUMONT, Texas – A three-pointer with one second remaining cost Lamar University a second-straight Southland Conference game, as the Cardinals have fallen from a tie for first place into a three-way tie for third in the past week. The Cardinals have no time to sit back and feel sorry for themselves as Texas A&M-Commerce comes to town for a Monday night showdown. Despite a tough start to conference play, the Lions have actually been playing better since the start of league games. The Lions (7-10/1-3 SLC) have been hanging around in each of their SLC games but were unable to get over the hump in their first three games. They put put their first win on the board Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana. Commerce jumped out to a huge first-half lead and never looked back defeating SLU, 68-52, Saturday in Hammond. The win propels A&M-Commerce from last to eighth-place in the standings just a win back of Houston Christian and New Orleans in the standings. Monday's game against the Lions will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center. It will serve as the Cards first home game since a Jan. 6th contest against UIW. The game will be broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.
LU vs. the Lions
The series between Lamar and Texas A&M-Commerce dates back to the 1951-52 season. The Cardinals are 12-14 (.462) all-time in the series, a record that includes a 7-7 home mark against the Lions. A&M-Commerce swept the season series last year which was the first time the two met on the court since the 1962-63 season, which is also the last time Lamar recorded a victory in the season.
Defending the Nest
Lamar has made the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center one of the toughest venues for opponents to play over the course of its 30-plus year history. The Cards are 365-186 (.662) all-time in the Montagne Center. LU recorded a program-best 15 home wins in the 1987-88 season, and is 6-1 (.833) at home this season.
LU in January
The Cardinals are 291-283 (.507) all-time in the month of January. LU has produced above .500 records in the month 31 times in program history which includes three perfect records (1965-66, 1968-69 and 1987-88). That win percentage jumps when looking at home games. The Cards are 201-107 (.653) all-time at home in the year's first month.
Just One More
With one more win, Lamar will pass its win total from all of last season. The Cardinals made a seven-game improvement last year from the year before and is looking to do the same this year. LU has equaled last year's win total with 13 games remaining.
Pryor To His Arrival
Senior Chris Pryor continued his hot streak Saturday at Houston Christian. Pryor led the Cardinals with 18 points on 7-of-11 (.636) shooting from the field. He was just one-point shy of tying a season-high for the second-straight game. He has now led the team in scoring in the past two games. Over the course of the past three games he is averaging 17.3 points per game while also dishing out a team-best 4.3 assist per game during that time.
High Octane Offense
LU continues to lead the Southland in scoring. Big Red is averaging a league-best 81.2 points per game and is the only Southland school to average at least 80 points per contest – a stat made even more impressive by the fact that Lamar doesn't have a player averaging 12.0 per game on the season. The Cardinals are currently tied for 43rd nationally (with Memphis) in scoring offense. The Cardinals are also 29th nationally in bench scoring (28.39 pg) and tied for 14th nationally in fastbreak points (15.83 pg).
Arc Angels
The Cardinals continue to be one of the Southland's top three-point shooting teams. Big Red is currently second in the SLC in three-point field-goal percentage (.363) and third in the Southland three-pointers per game (8.3 pg).
The Cardinal Rule
Lamar University has been one of the Southland Conference's more dominant teams. LU has won 52 percent of the league games and has more NCAA tournament appearances than any of the current SLC schools (6), and their five NIT berths are also tops in the league. LU had 82 players earn All-SLC honors, including 32 first-team selections. Six players were named league newcomer of the year, five SLC tournament MVPs, four SLC Players of the Year, two freshmen of the year and a defensive player of the year.
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