THIBODAUX, La. - Sabria Dean earned her 200th career steal as she sparked Lamar (11-4, 6-0 Southland) to a strong second half over Nicholls (10-6, 3-4 SLC) to win 67-53 at Stopher Gymnasium Thursday. The Cardinals have won six games in a row to remain undefeated in Southland Conference play.
Dean led all scorers with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds. With one steal, the Mineola native became the second Cardinal to reach 1,500 points, 300 assists, and 200 steals joining Cardinals Hall of Honor member Kalis Loyd. Jacei Denley posted 13 points and stole the ball three times while R'Mani Taylor tallied 10 points off the bench.
LU finished the night hitting 50 percent from the field (24-of-48) while holding the Colonels to 43.1 percent. Big Red dominated the glass with 38 rebounds and also tallied 12 second chance points.
The Cardinals opened the game with an 8-0 run, including six points from Denley. Momentum swung in Nicholls' direction when the Colonels closed the gap to 10-7. Following Denley's eighth point of the quarter, Nicholls finished the quarter on a 9-2 run to lead 16-14 after the first quarter.
Despite tying the game to start the second quarter, the Cardinals couldn't hold off a 9-2 run by Nicholls putting them behind 25-18. Taylor stepped up with six points to lead LU on a comeback for a 26-25 lead. The Colonels retook the lead with Britiya Curtis finishing a 15-point first half as they went into the locker room up 31-28.
Each team traded buckets to open the second half until the score was tied at 37 at the 6:44 mark in the third quarter. Over the final six minutes, the Cardinals' defense took over, outscoring Nicholls 18-3. A key factor was the Colonels' inability to convert free throws as they went 1-of-9 from the line. After being held to two points in the first half, Dean caught fire with 12 points. In the final seconds, Dean made a jumper, then stole the ball to reach the milestone, before knocking down another shot to end the third quarter with LU leading 55-40.
Dean continued her second half surge with seven points in the fourth quarter. Akasha Davis added four points as the Cardinals stretched their lead to 64-45 at the midway point. While LU was held to three points over the final five minutes, its defense made sure the Colonels wouldn't get closer than the final of 67-53.
Big Red will look to sweep the current road trip Saturday as it will head to Lake Charles, La. to meet with McNeese at the Legacy Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m.
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