LUBBOCK, Texas - For nearly 40 minutes, Lamar University kept pace with Texas Tech at the United Supermarket's Arena Monday morning. The Cardinals' bid for an upset would come up short in the final minutes as the Red Raiders held on 73-67 decision. The loss puts LU at 5-4 overall. 

NJ Weems led LU with season highs of 21 points and six rebounds while setting a new career high with five steals. Jacei Denley contributed 13 points while Sabria Dean added 12 points and secured eight rebounds. 

LU recorded 40.3 percent from the field throughout the game, which would include six three-pointers. The Cardinals also capitalized off Tech's miscues with 22 points off turnovers and winning the second chance points battle 23-7.   

Denley and Weems combined for all of LU's first quarter points as the Cardinals trailed 17-13. Showing why she was the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week, Denley started the first quarter with five of Big Red's first six points before the media timeout. Over the last four minutes, Weems posted seven points to tie the game at 13 apiece. 

Continuing a 10-3 run that started in the first quarter, Tech jumped out to a seven-point lead at 23-16 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Cardinals slowly pecked back into the contest as R'Mani Taylor became the third Cardinal to score with seven-and-a-half minutes to go while Dean's first three points of the game cut the deficit to 25-24. LU tied the score at 28 before Tech went up by four in the closing seconds. Weems received the ball from the right corner and her buzzer-beating three-pointer ended her 14-point half while LU trailed just 33-32 at the break. 

While the Red Raiders extended their lead to 37-32 to open the third, LU surged back with seven straight points to grab a 39-37 lead after a Dean jumper. Tech retook the lead back at 43-40 before Akasha Davis cut the margin to one. The Red Raiders finished the third quarter on an 8-3 run to be up 51-45 after 30 minutes as LU was held to its game-low of 30.7 percent from the field in the quarter. 

Big Red wouldn't back down as it started the final quarter with a 9-2 run led by five points from Denley, which gave LU a 54-53 lead at the 7:45 mark. Tied at 56, Davis tipped in a miss lay-up to hand LU its' final lead of the game at 58-56. Each team traded buckets and with under three minutes to go, Weems leveled the game at 63. That was when Tech seized the game with seven unanswered points to lead 70-63. All LU could do was close within 71-67 before the Red Raiders converted two free throws to finish off the six-point win.

LU's last non-conference game will be at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center Saturday. The Cardinals will tip off with Northern Colorado at 1 p.m.
 

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