BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University will look to begin a happy holiday break with a road trip Sunday to Natchitoches, La., for a Southland Conference showdown against Northwestern State in a battle of first-place teams. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. from Prather Coliseum and will be streamed on ESPN+.
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals (5-4, 2-0 SLC) are on a three-game win streak after defeating Prairie View A&M Wednesday, 72-59.
R'Mani Taylor led the Cardinals with a season-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Molly Powell (12 points, eight rebounds),
Taliah Hill (10 points, eight rebounds) and
Shaila Forman nearly had a double-double with eight points and 12 rebounds.
GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY
The Cardinals posted a season-high 31 points in the first quarter while shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field. One reason for that was
Molly Powell, who scored 10 of her 12 points in the quarter by hitting 4-of-7 from the floor, including a pair of threes. This was the second time Powell scored 12 points in a game (vs. Northern Colorado).
FOURTH QUARTER LIFTOFF
For the third game in a row, the Cardinals scored 20-plus points in the fourth quarter. On Wednesday, they finished with 21 as they hit seven field goals and converted all six free throw attempts. LU has had nine quarters where it scored in the 20s. Five of those quarters happened in the last 10 minutes.
ALL TIME VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE
While NSU holds a 38-26 lead in this head-to-head matchup, the Cardinals have won their last five meetings and nine of 10 since the 2016-17 season. LU's previous trip to the Prather Coliseum saw it overcome a 20-8 deficit to win 58-46. Taylor was one of three Cardinals in double figures when she scored 16.
ABOUT THE DEMONS
The Demons (5-5, 2-0 SLC) last played No. 2 Texas Wednesday evening and fell 96-38 in Austin. Vernell Atamah was the only Demon in double figures with 12 points. NSU is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 season and averages 66 points per game. Atamah is the go-to player for NSU, leading the entire conference in scoring at 20.2 points per game.
UP NEXT
On New Year's Eve, the Cardinals will be in Commerce to take on East Texas A&M at the Commerce Field House. The game will start at 2:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
#PeckEmCards
