BEAUMONT, Texas – Both Lamar University and Northwestern State entered the day tied for third place in the Southland Conference standings and when Monday's game came to an end the Cardinals dropped NSU down a notch in the standings with a 69-59 victory.
 
The Cardinals (12-9/7-3 SLC) overcame a slow start offensively to build a 12-point second half lead and never allowed NSU to get closer than two possessions in the final 20 minutes. Junior Alexis Marmolejos led four Cardinals in double figures with 14 points, but it was senior Adam Hamilton who finished the night with a double-double – 13 points and 14 rebounds.
 
The other two Cardinals in double figures were Ja'Sean Jackson (13 points) and Danquez Dawsey (10).
 
Big Red knocked down 10 triples on the night and ended the game 10-of-28 (.357) from long range.
 
The Demons started the game strong converting 14-of-35 attempts in the first half but cooled off as the game went on. LU held Northwestern State to less than 35 percent from the field on the night after a 6-of-23 (.261) effort in the second half. The Demons finished night 5-of-15 (.333) from long range but only one of those threes came in the second half.
 
Northwestern State won the battle on the glass, 44-43, but the Cardinals closed the gap in the second half. LU trailed their guests by eight rebounds at halftime before going to work on the boards in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Cardinals built their 12-point advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest. NSU slowly began to chip away at the lead pulling within four on an Addison Patterson layup with less than seven to play but LU never allowed the Demons to get any closer.
 
In addition to moving a game up on Northwestern State in the standings, the Cardinals also moved into a second-place tie with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after the Islanders lost on Monday. The Cardinals now turn their attention to a rematch against Stephen F. Austin. The game against the Lumberjacks will tip off at 2 p.m. from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 and streamed live on ESPN+.