NATCHITOCHES, La. – Lamar University senior
R'Mani Taylor recorded her second-straight 16-point game, but the Cardinals couldn't hold on to a nine-point lead as Northwestern State handed them their first Southland Conference loss, 60-57, at the Prather Coliseum Sunday.
Taylor went 7-of-16 from the field and dished out a pair of assists. Freshman
Shaila Forman, who made her first collegiate start, scored 11 points, which included 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior
Solenne Olenga grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go with seven points, while sophomore
Kamryn Wilson finished with eight points.
LU (5-5, 2-1 SLC) went to the free throw line 27 times and made 21, but it was plagued by a 33.3 (17-51) shooting performance. The Cardinals outrebounded NSU, 35-32, but were bested in the paint (26-20) and points off turnovers (24-15).
The Demons came out of the gates early by hitting four of their first six shots. Big Red responded with an 18-6 run, which came primarily from the free throw line. LU converted nine free throws, including a three-point play by
Keyiona McDaniel, who had five points. Taylor's first basket of the game was a buzzer-beater to close the first quarter with LU up 20-15.
The Cardinals maintained their five-point edge in the second quarter as both teams scored 14 points to make it 34-29 at halftime. The backcourt tandem of Taylor and Forman each netted four points for the Cardinals, who ended the first half hitting 37 percent from the field.
Taylor scored eight points in the third quarter, but the rest of the Cardinals went 1-of-8 from the field. NSU connected on 46.2 shooting and trimmed the deficit to three, 47-44, heading into the last quarter.
LU's defense held the Demons without a field goal for six-and-a-half minutes while
KJ Walker's second three-pointer of the game pushed the margin to 53-44. NSU fought back with a 10-1 run to tie the game at 54 with under two minutes to go. Each team traded leads before NSU led 59-57 following a pair of free throws. LU had two chances to grab the lead for good, but were unsuccessful as the Demons picked up one free throw with under a second left for the win.
The Cardinals will return to the court on Wednesday, Dec. 31st in Commerce to take on East Texas A&M at the Field House. The game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
