BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University returns to action Saturday when they travel to Nacogdoches, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin in an afternoon showdown from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. A normally scheduled league doubleheader, the men's basketball team will play the first of the twin bill Saturday (2 p.m.).
 
While the Cardinals are still locked in a logjam near the top of the Southland Conference standings (teams 2 – 7 are separated by just one game), Lamar has been able to maneuver its way back into second place. Big Red enters the weekend 3.0 games back of the league leaders and 5.0 up on the Lumberjacks.
 
The Southland has crossed the midway point of the league schedule so teams now begin the process of facing each other for a second time this season. It can be argued that the remaining schedule doesn't set up in LU's favor with six of its remaining 10 games away from Beaumont, but the flip side of that coin is the Cardinals have played well on the road this season.
 
Lamar rolls into Nacogdoches having won three straight including a clutch win at Nicholls during that stretch.
 
Stephen F. Austin enters the contest looking to hit the reset button on what has been a tough season to this point. The Lumberjacks are 9-12 (.429) overall and tied for 10^th in the league standings with a 2-8 (.200) overall record. While SFA has dropped four its previous five, the Lumberjacks are coming off a seven-point victory over East Texas A&M. Plus, Lamar needs only to recall its last outing against SFA (in Beaumont) to know how tough the Lumberjacks are.
 
Saturday's game will tip off at 2 p.m. and it will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.
   
LU vs. the Lumberjacks
Saturday's meeting between Lamar University and Stephen F. Austin will be the 72nd all-time meeting between the two schools. The series, which started during the 1951-52 season, has been in favor of the Lumberjacks. SFA holds a 41-30 series advantage and has won six of the last seven, including a nine-point victory in Beaumont earlier this season. The Cardinals enter Saturday's game looking for their first win since an overtime victory in 2020-21. The Cardinals head to the Piney Woods looking for their first road win since the 2018-19 season.
 
LU in February
The Cardinals are 290-292 (.498) all-time in the month of February. Big Red has produced above .500 records in the month 28 times in program history, which includes four perfect months (1960-61, 1963-64, 1983-84 and 2007-08). The Cardinals posted a school record 10 wins in the month twice (1960-61 and 1983-84). The February record jumps to 188-111 (.629) all-time in home games.
 
Upward Trajectory
Entering the 2024-25 season, the LU men's basketball team had made a 10-win improvement from the previous year and a 17-win improvement over the course of the past two seasons. In conference games, Big Red saw a 12-game improvement during that same stretch. With Monday's victory, the Cardinals equaled the same start to conference play this year that it had last season.
 
Double-Double
Senior Adam Hamilton recorded his second double-double of the season and the team's fifth when he struck for 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in the victory over Northwestern State. In addition to the double-double, he also blocked four shots.
 
Golden Triangle Block Party
For the second time this season Lamar University blocked a season-high nine shots in a game (vs. Northwestern State and at Southern Miss). Monday's game against Northwestern State lived up to the hype with the top two teams (in terms of blocks) combining for 15. Lamar (108/5.14 pg) entered the game as the league's leader in blocks (NSU is second), while the Demons had the league's top individual shot blocker and Lamar has the No. 2 overall leader (Andrew Holifield - 1.9 pg). The Cardinals are currently tied for 21st nationally in blocked shots.