BEAUMONT, Texas – After a successful start to the home portion of the calendar, Lamar University hits the road to face in-state rival No. 13 Texas A&M Monday. The Cardinals opened the year with a 113-42 thumping of Paul Quinn College and now takes a step up in competition.
 
The Aggies are 1-1 on the season after a season-opening loss to Central Florida before returning home to defeat East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce). The Aggies enter the year looking to build off an impressive 2023-24 season that saw them win 21 games and advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
 
The series between Lamar and A&M dates back to the 1953-54 season and has been played 15 times with the last meeting coming in the 2005-06 season. The Aggies hold a slim 8-7 advantage in the all-time series which includes a 7-1 mark for A&M in College Station. The two schools have split the previous eight meetings with Lamar last win being a seven-point decision in Beaumont during the 1988-89 season. Big Red enters Monday looking for its first win in College Station since the 1968-69 season.
 
Monday's contest will tip off at 7 p.m. from Reed Arena and will be televised on the SEC+ Network.
   
The Century Mark
The Cardinals scored 113 points in their season-opening win. It was Big Red's first 100-point game since the 2023-24 season opener. The 113-point outing was one of the top 50 single-game scoring efforts in program history - which is even more impressive considering Lamar was shorthanded. The Cardinals 71-point margin of victory is the largest since posting an 89-point margin of victory over Howard Payne in 2018-19.
 
The Defense Doesn't Rest
Lamar's defense shined in the season opener holding the Tigers to just 42 points on 16-of-53 (.302) shooing, and just six second-half field goals. The Tigers were also held to just 2-of-12 (.167) shooting from long range, outrebounded by 15 and forced into 34 turnovers (LU recorded 21 steals) which Big Red cashed in for 45 points. The 42 points surrendered are the fewest by a Cardinal squad since the 2019-20 season.
 
Stealing the Show
Lamar University recorded 21 steals and forced Paul Quinn College into 31 turnovers in Monday's season opener. It's the most steals for a Lamar squad and the most turnovers forced since the Cardinals recorded 22 steals and forced 32 turnovers against Champion Christian during the 2019-20 season.
 
Youth Is Served
The Cardinals shot better than 56 percent from the field in their season opener and had six players score in double figures. It marks the first time Lamar has had six players score in double figures since defeating UTSA, 90-82, last season in Beaumont. Among the six players who scored in double figures, four were newcomers. Juniors Andrew Holifield (20) and Alexis Marmelejos (18) combined for 38 of the team's points.
 
Triumphant Return
Junior transfer Andrew Holifield made a triumphant return to his hometown. The Beaumont native led Lamar with 20 points on 8-of-11 (.727) shooting in his first game with the hometown team. He also grabbed five rebounds, recorded two steals, dished out an assist and blocked on shot.
 
Building Off the 2023-24 Momentum
Lamar enters the 2024-25 season looking to build off the momentum from last season. The Cardinals entered the 2024 postseason as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. It was the highest seed for Big Red since the 2011-12 season. Last season also saw the Cards record more NCAA Division I wins in a season since 2012 (and the third most wins since 1988), record the most conference wins since 2018, most home wins since 2019 and finish eighth nationally in fast break points per game.
 
The Cardinal Rule
Lamar University has been one of the Southland Conference's more dominant teams. LU has won 53 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 84 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.