BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team will look to get back in the win column Monday when they continue their current four-game road swing with a trip to Monroe, La., to face the UL Monroe Warhawks. The Cardinals are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss at TCU that saw Big Red lead for the majority of the game only to have the Horned Frogs rally in the closing minutes for the win.
 
The Warhawks enter the new week looking to right the ship after a tough start to the season. ULM is 1-3 on the young season and are coming off an 11-point loss at Southland member Houston Christian. Through four games, ULM is averaging 74 points per game while surrendering nearly 79 but those numbers are skewed due to 20-point losses to Northern Illinois and Mississippi to start the season.
 
On the flip side of the coin, the Cardinals averaging just under 80 points and holding opponents to less than 66 per game. Lamar has had two different players hit the 20-point plateau in the first two games of the season. Redshirt freshman Jayden Gambrell struck for 27 in the season opener followed by a 26-point outburst from transfer Rob Lee, Jr. at TCU.
 
The series between the two schools dates back to the 1958-59 season with Lamar holding a slim two-games advantage, 28-26 (.519). The two teams are old Southland Conference foes, but ULM held a one-game advantage, 13-12 (.520) in those games. The Warhawks have won two of the last three but if you stretch the series back to 2004-05, Lamar has taken six of the previous eight meetings.
 
Monday's game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start from Fant-Ewing Coliseum and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
   
LU vs. the Warhawks
Lamar leads the all-time series, 28-26 (.519), between the two schools but is 11-16 (.407) in games played in Monroe. The Cardinals have dropped two of the last three in the series but are coming off a 97-73 victory in Beaumont during the 2023-24 season. Big Red heads to Monroe looking for its first road win in the series since pulling off a three-point win on a half court buzzer beater in 2020-21.
 
Another 20-Something
Junior Rob Lee, Jr. led Lamar with 26 points on 9-of-20 (.450) shooting in Big Red's game at TCU. It marks the second-straight game where the Cardinals have had a player hit the 20-point mark (freshman Jayden Gambrell - 27 vs. Texas A&M-San Antonio).
 
A Tale of Two Halves
Lamar led TCU for much of the first half and the game was tied midway through the second, but the Cardinals' offense struggled in the second. LU converted better than 51 percent of its shots in the opening half (16-of-31) but converted just nine of 29 attempts in the final 20 minutes.
 
Building on the Foundation
After a two-win season during his first year, LU head coach Alvin Brooks has improved on each previous season culminating in last year's 20-win campaign. What is even more impressive about the Cardinals current run is that it is done while also losing the leading scorer each season. If the Cardinals were to improve this year, it would mean at least a 21-win season and that would be the program's first back-to-back 20-win campaigns since 1983-84 and 1984-85.
 
Let's Run It Back
The Cardinals enter 2025-26 looking to become just the third team in program history to record improved win totals over a five-year stretch, and the first since 1973-74.
 
Records Are Meant to Be Broken
Last year, the Cardinals recorded their best conference season since 2007-08, in addition to that, LU set a program record for Southland wins in a season (14).
 
The Great Wall of Beaumont
Known for what he does on the offensive end of the floor, senior Andrew Holifield is just as impactful on defense. The Cardinals led the league in blocks last season (5.0 bpg) due in large part to Holifield. The Beaumont native ended the year second in the conference with 54 total blocks (1.6 pg). Holifield is also the team's top returning scorer (10.4 ppg) and rebounder (5.6 rpg). Holifield is averaging 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a senior.
 
Building on the Past
Head coach Alvin Brooks has a direct link to Lamar's successful history. One in a long line of LU standout point guards, Brooks guided the Cards to a 47-16 (.746) overall record, two conference titles, the NCAA Sweet 16, a 3-2 NCAA tournament record and graduated as the school's all-time leader in assists.