BEAUMONT, Texas – As the new year begins, Lamar University resumes Southland Conference play Saturday by heading across the Texas-Louisiana border for its first showdown against rival McNeese at the Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, La. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals (6-5, 3-1 SLC) recorded their first road victory over East Texas A&M Wednesday, 64-48.
R'Mani Taylor was the top scorer for the Cardinals for the third game in a row as she finished with 13 points.
T'Aaliyah Miner secured her second double-double of the season as she totaled 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
ELEVEN ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Cardinals played 11 players who all scored against ETAMU. Collectively, the team shot 44.2 percent from the field and had 30 points from the bench. The last time LU played 10 or more players and had everyone score in a single game was on Jan. 4
th, 2025, when 12 players scored in a 69-29 win over Houston Christian.
ALL TIME VS. McNEESE
Thanks to a current 17-game winning streak, the Cardinals hold a 45-43 mark all-time against their border rivals. Last season, Big Red averaged 68.5 ppg in both meetings against the Cowgirls, who scored 56 ppg. In their last meeting, a 69-60 victory in Beaumont,
Jacei Denley tallied 16 points while
T'Aaliyah Miner recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
McNeese (9-4, 3-1 SLC) took down Houston Christian, 63-43, in its most recent game Wednesday. Dakota Howard (18 points, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds) finished with a 5-5-5 game while leading a trip of Cowgirls in scoring double figures. Former Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana player Lexi Alexander had 12 points, while Tyreona Sibley netted 10 points. The Cowgirls averaged 67.8 ppg on offense, which is currently third in the conference.
IRRESISTIBLE FORCE VS. IMMOVABLE OBJECT:
As the two best defensive teams in the SLC, Lamar (59.8) and McNeese (52.8) are the only teams allowing fewer than 60 points per game. The Cardinals crash the boards to grab 36.5 rebounds per game, including a conference-best 14.2 on the offensive side. The Cowgirls lead the conference in steals (192; 14.7 per game), turnovers (138), and turnovers forced (313) while having the best assist-turnover ratio at 1.23.
NORTH VS. SOUTH LOUISIANA ROOKS
Saturday's matchup also has a pair of Louisiana freshmen, Dakota Howard and
Shaila Forman, who both lead their teams in scoring. While Forman (Baton Rouge, La.) leads the Cardinals with 11.5 ppg, Howard (Shreveport, La.) is averaging 12.4 ppg and has scored in double figures over the last five games.
UP NEXT
LU returns home to the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center Thursday to battle with Houston Christian. The ball is scheduled to be tipped off at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
