BEAUMONT, Texas - Over the last eight games, no women's basketball team in the Southland Conference has been hotter than the Lamar Cardinals. Now in the drivers' seat of the conference and winners of their last eight games, the Cardinals will look to put a little distance between themselves and second place as they host McNeese in the Neches Arena for a Thursday night meeting at 7:00 PM. 

DEJA VU LATE AGAIN
Lamar held on to a 63-60 victory over the University of New Orleans on Saturday. Much like their first meeting, the Cardinals were behind by five points late in the contest before racking nine straight points, which included the game-winner by New Orleans native T'Aaliyah Miner.

THERE R'MANI POINTS 
R'Mani Taylor matched her career-high of 17 points against the Privateers. She was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line and made seven-of-15 from the field. Taylor also connected on two critical three-pointers, including the game-tying shot with under three minutes to go. Taylor has become a valuable third option for LU as she has scored double-figures in the last three games. 

WINNING IS FUN
The Cardinals have won their last eight games in a row, which marks the most consecutive wins in the Aqua Franklin era breaking the previous mark of seven last year. It's also the longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season, in which Big Red won 12 straight games (Dec. 17-Feb. 6). At 18-5 overall, the Cardinals are off to their best start in the Franklin era as they won their 18th game in the last regular season conference game at Nicholls in 2023. 

LAST TIME VS THE COWGIRLS
The Cardinals defeated McNeese 82-50 down in Lake Charles. Akasha Davis eclipsed the 1000-point mark as she finished with 20 points while grabbing 14 rebounds. A win over McNeese on Thursday would even the all-time record between the two teams in the 86th meeting. As of now, the Cardinals have won 14 straight against the Cowgirls with the last loss occurring on March 11th, 2016.

SOUTHLAND UPDATE
With only five games to go, LU finds themselves at the top of the conference standings (12-1) by a half-game over Southeastern Louisiana (12-2). Considering that four teams (LU, A&M-Corpus Christi, Nicholls, UIW) have played one fewer than the maximum of 14, only three games will be played on Thursday (LU-McNeese, AMCC-HCU, UIW-NICH) to level the playing field. Regardless of the result on Thursday, the Cardinals will maintain the top spot in the standings thanks to their head-to-head record against SLU. 

SINCE WE LAST MET
The Cowgirls are still in search of their first conference win having lost their last 15 games. However, the Cowgirls have played their last three opponents tightly. After three quarters, McNeese had a lead against Houston Christian (42-40), trailed by four against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (50-54), and were knotted with Nicholls (55-55) before the games slipped away from them in the fourth quarter. 

THEY CAN SCORE A LOT
McNeese is third in the Southland in scoring with 66.0 ppg. They have tallied 60 or more points in four of their last five games. Emilia Tenbrock is tied for first in the conference with 15.0 ppg by scoring in double-figures in seven of the last nine games. Tenbrock scored a game-high 25 points in the last meeting between the two teams. 

UP NEXT FOR LU
Big Red sets their sights on Senior Day this Saturday as they will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 3:00 PM. 
 

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