BEAUMONT, Texas - Sabria Dean reached both the 1,500-point and 300-assist plateau as Lamar opened 2025 by using a strong first half to knock off UIW 69-47. The good guys (7-4) currently sit at 2-0 in Southland Conference play.

Dean tallied 18 points and dished out three assists to join Kalis Loyd as the only two Cardinals in the 1,500 point-300 assist club. She also added four steals and is currently five away from 200 in her career. Jacei Denley added 14 points, while Akasha Davis posted 13 in the paint.

Beaumont's Cardinals converted 49.0 percent from the field, including eight three-pointers. Along with 30 points in the paint, Big Red forced 24 turnovers by San Antonio's Cardinals and turned them into 21 points.

Shooting 64.3 percent in the first quarter, Big Red scored 21 points, which began with five consecutive field goals to open the contest. There was only one tie at 2-2 before LU ran up 12 straight points, with Davis scoring seven points in the quarter. UIW managed to bring the score down to 14-5, marking the last time the deficit was in single digits. Buckets by Dean, T'Aaliyah Miner, and Taliah Hill gave LU a 21-7 lead.

The home team elevated their play in the second quarter with 20 points as they converted 8-of-10 from the field. Denley and NJ Weems combined to score half of the points, while the defense kept UIW to two field goals in the first seven minutes. Denley's only three-pointer of the game at the 7:37 mark came from the 300th career assist by Dean. Despite UIW trimming the margin to 32-15, Beaumont's Cardinals ended the first half with nine points, increasing the lead to 41-15.

Each team struggled offensively in the third quarter as both combined for eight field goals. At first, the bad guys created a 9-2 rally to get down 43-24. All LU could respond with was a three-pointer by R'Mani Taylor and five free throws to stretch its lead to 53-28 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Early in the fourth quarter, Dean connected on a three-pointer eclipsing the 1,500-point mark, which also sparked a 9-5 run to give Big Red its largest lead at 62-33. UIW outscored Big Red 19-16, which was from a 54.5 percent shooting performance from the field. Still, the giant lead was too much to overcome as LU secured the 69-47 victory.

Big Red continues its homestead Saturday as it will host Houston Christian. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. 
 

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