BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University saw an early 20-point lead evaporate against Prairie View A&M in the third quarter but overcame that adversity with a 72-59 victory Wednesday evening at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center.
LU (5-4) had two players in double figures in
R'Mani Taylor and
Molly Powell. Taylor led the Cardinals with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting while dishing out a game-high six assists.
Molly Powell was one of three Cardinals who nearly had a double-double by finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds, along with
Taliah Hill (10 points).
Shaila Forman came off the bench to add eight points and pull down a team-high 12 rebounds.
PVAMU outshot the Cardinals (41.2-36.5) from the floor, including 11 three-pointers. Big Red's inside game would be the deciding factor as it grabbed 54 rebounds, scored 44 points in the paint and 25 points on 26 Panther turnovers.
The Cardinals started the game by hitting their first five shots to open a 12-0 lead. While the Panthers clawed to within five, 14-9, Big Red responded with a 17-4 surge on 64.7 percent from the field. Powell was the main catalyst as she scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a pair of threes that put LU up 31-13 after one.
A layup by
Keyiona McDaniel to start the second quarter made it 33-13, the largest lead of the game. For the rest of the half, the roles suddenly changed and it was PVAMU that caught fire by hitting 72.7 percent from the floor and holding LU to 2-of-17 from the field. The Panthers rattled off a 22-4 run during that stretch to pull within 37-35 at halftime.
The Panthers' momentum carried into the third quarter as they grabbed their first lead of the game, 40-39 (8:18). LU broke out of its slumber to get a 12-5 run to end the quarter. Taylor and Hill scored four points each as Big Red held a 51-45 edge entering the last quarter.
PVAMU never threatened in the last quarter as the Cardinals' defense held them to four field goals. With seven points coming from Kamaryn Wilson, the Cardinals had their third straight game of scoring 20-plus in the fourth quarter, which helped LU pull away from the Panthers.
The Cardinals set their sights on a tough test in Natchitoches, La., Sunday against Northwestern State in a battle of 2-0 teams in the Southland Conference. The ball will be tossed at 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
