BEAUMONT, Texas – With Lamar University's victory Saturday, the Cardinals jumped two places in the standings. Big Red has a chance to move up another spot Monday when it hosts Houston Christian. The Cardinals enter the night tied for fifth in the league standings 2.0 games up on Houston Christian who enters the new week alone in 12^th place.
 
The Cardinals (8-8/3-4 SLC) step on the court looking to sweep the current mini homestand and climb one more step on the conference ladder this week (which will happen with an LU win and a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi loss).
 
The Huskies (5-11/1-6 SLC) come to Beaumont looking to turn their season around. After a strong start, HCU heads east looking to stop a seven-game skid and climb its way out of the league basement.
 
Lamar leads the all-time series over HCU, 21-12 (.636), which includes a 16-3 (.842) record in Beaumont. Lamar has won three straight and five of the last seven in the series.
 
Monday's game is slated for a 6 p.m. start from the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 and streamed live on ESPN+.
   
LU vs. the Huskies
The Cardinals are 21-12 (.636) all-time against Houston Christian, a mark that includes a 16-3 (.842) record in Beaumont. Lamar has won three straight and five of the last seven meetings in a series that dates back to the 1966-67 campaign.
 
Defending the Nest
Lamar University has made Neches Arena one of the toughest venues for opponents to play over the course of its 40-plus year history. The Cardinals are 384-195 (.663) all-time in Neches Arena. Lamar recorded a program-best 15 home wins in the 1987-88 season. The Cardinals are 4-3 (.571) at home this season.
 
20 Somethings
For the second time this season, Braden East has reached the 20-point plateau in a game leading the Cardinals with 23 in the victory over UIW. It also marked the 10th time this season that a Cardinal has reached at least 20 in a game. East also leads the Cardinals with five double-doubles this season.
 
Attacking the Glass
Lamar continues to be a dominant force on the glass. The Cardinal outrebounded UIW by seven Saturday, 39-32, with 13 of their rebounds coming on the offensive end. The Cardinals currently rank third in the Southland in rebounds (37.8 rpg), offensive rebounds (13.1 rpg) and rebound margin (+4.3). Lamar has outrebounded its opponents in 12 of its 16 games this season.
 
Windex Award
Sophomore Braden East continues to lead the Southland Conference averaging 8.3 rebounds per game. The Houston native has pulled down double-digit rebounds in a game seven times in 2025-26.
 
Defense Doesn't Rest
Similar to Braden East, a couple other Cardinals are challenging for league-leading honors in other defensive categories. Senior Andrew Holifield has 32 blocks on the season and ranks second in the league (2.0 bpg), while classmate Cody Pennebaker has recorded 24 steals and is eighth in the Southland averaging 1.5 steals per game.
 
Clipping the Other Cardinals Wings
Lamar slowed down one of the league's top offenses Saturday in their win over the Cardinals. UIW came to Beaumont as one of the league's top shooting teams but Lamar held the other Cardinals to a 20-of-52 (.385) performances and a season-low 51 points. It marks the 10th time this season that Lamar has held an opponent to fewer than 70 points and the sixth time it has held an opponent to 60 or fewer points.
 
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. He is a member of the Cardinals Hall of Honor.
 
The Cardinal Rule
Lamar has been one of the SLC's more dominant teams. LU has won 53 percent of league games and has more NCAA tournament appearances than any of the current SLC schools (6), and their five NIT berths are also tops in the league. LU has had 85 players earn All-SLC honors, including 32 first-team selections. Six players have been named league newcomer of the year, five SLC tournament MVPs, four SLC Players of the Year, three SLC All-Defensive selections, two freshmen and a defensive player of the year.