BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior
Jacei Denley and freshman
Shaila Forman's second-half performances flipped an early double-digit deficit into a 66-55 victory for Lamar over UT Arlington at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center Sunday afternoon.
Denley and Forman were two Big Red members in double figures throughout the contest. Denley finished as the leading scorer for LU with 15 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Forman converted 11-of-12 from the free throw line and totaled 13 points while senior
Kamryn Wilson netted 12, including a pair of three-pointers.
LU (1-3) finished the game hitting 45.7 percent from the field and made 72.4 percent of its free throws. The Cardinals outrebounded UTA, 33-28, and contributed 22 bench points, 11 steals, and 11 assists.
Big Red opened the contest with an 8-3 lead from buckets by
Molly Powell, Wilson, and
R'Mani Taylor. While the Mavericks knotted the score at 11, Denley and
Solenne Olenga pushed LU back in front, 15-13, at the end of the first quarter. The Cardinals converted half of their 12 shots.
The Mavericks took control of the second quarter, hitting all but two of their nine shots. This included a 13-0 run in the beginning while the Cardinals were held to their worst quarter of the game, hitting four field goals. UTA took a 34-26 lead going into the break.
After the Mavericks posted the first two scores in the third quarter, they led 38-26. Over the final nine minutes, the Cardinals outscored UTA, 19-7, on 45.5 percent from the field and converted 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Forman came off the bench to post eight points while
T'Aaliyah Miner's only basket gave the Cardinals a 45-44 lead with one quarter to play.
UTA grabbed the early lead in the fourth quarter, which would last for 30 seconds as LU responded with shot-clock buzzer-beating plays from Wilson and Denley. The Mavericks got to within one, 53-52 with 6:46 to play. Down the stretch, a big jumper by Olenga, clutch rebounds by
Chisom Oguego, and eight points from Denley broke the game open as the Cardinals sealed their first win of the season.
The Cardinals are back home Wednesday, where they will host St. Mary's (Texas). The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
