LAKE CHARLES, La. – Lamar University senior Andrew Holifield scored a game-high 21 points and sophomore Braden East added 12 and a game-high 10 rebounds but McNeese managed to hold on and defeat LU, 82-70, in front of a record, sellout crowd (4,612) Friday evening at the Townsley Law Arena.
 
The loss drops LU to .500 on the season (7-7) and 2-3 (.400) in Southland Conference play.
 
The Cardinals shot 18-of-54 (.333) from the field, but just eight of those makes came in the second. Half of Lamar's makes came from three-point range as Holifield was 6-of-12 (.500) on triples.
 
McNeese finished the night 23-of-48 (.479) from the field with six three-pointers, but only one of those came in the second half. McNeese, which had struggled from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes, closed the game converting 24 of its final 26 attempts to finish 30-of-40 (.750).
 
Holifield and Lee were joined in double figures by junior Rob Lee, Jr. who ended the night with 15 points (including three makes from long range).
 
Both teams opened the game going 3-of-4 from the field (with a three). Trailing early in the opening half, Holifield forced a McNeese timeout with a three at 17:10 to give Lamar a one-point lead. After a McNeese three, Holifield followed with another one dialed up from long range.
 
Holiefield was the key to a small 7-0 LU run that led to Big Red taking a five-point advantage midway through the half, 15-10. Big Red's defense forced McNeese into a drought that lasted more than five minutes.
 
Through the first eight minutes, Lamar had only been forced into one turnover against a McNeese squad that ranked third nationally in turnovers forced per game entering the day. Unfortunately, that would change as the Cowboys forced turnovers on consecutive possessions and converted those into points.
 
McNeese eventually flipped the momentum going on a 16-6 run and grabbed a nine-point lead (39-30) at the 1:48 mark before Big Red closed the half with four consecutive points to go into the locker room down just five, 39-34.
 
Lamar finished the opening half 10-of-26 (.385) from the field with three triples, but McNeese knocked down four more attempts while shooting 50 percent from the field (with five three-pointers). Lamar carried a four-rebound advantage into the locker room, 21-17, with 10 of those coming on the offensive glass which led to a 14-6 advantage in second chance points.
 
It was a different story in the second half as both teams struggled to find the range. McNeese opened the second 2-of-6 while Lamar was 3-of-11, but two of Lamar's makes came from long range.
 
Despite the struggles, McNeese managed to build an 11-point lead but Lamar battled back. The Cardinals scored six of the next eight points trimming the deficit down to five but Lamar could get no closer than two possessions for the remainder of the contest as McNeese managed to get the game back to double-digits.
 
The Cardinals return to action Monday when they wrap up the current four-game road swing with a contest against Southeastern Louisiana. The game against the Lions is slated for a 6 p.m. tip from the University Center. It will be broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.