BEAUMONT, Texas –
Kamryn Wilson,
R'Mani Taylor and
Shaila Forman all were in double figures as Lamar University returned to the win column with a 66-54 victory over Houston Christian Thursday evening at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center.
Wilson was the game-high scorer with 17 points, one shy of her career-high, on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including half from behind the three-point line. Taylor also connected on three three-pointers to finish with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Forman (5-of-11) picked up 11 points.
The Cardinals shot 51 percent from the field (25-of-49), including seven threes. Outrebounding the Huskies, 31-23, LU added 23 points off turnovers and picked up 13 assists.
Both teams made over 45 percent from the field in the first quarter. LU (46.7 percent) took an early 8-3 lead to start the game. HCU (50 percent) tied the score at eight before the Cardinals went on a 10-4 run, to go up 18-12, with Wilson scoring seven points.
After a quiet three minutes without attempting a shot to open the second quarter, the Cardinals got a boost from
Jacei Denley, who came off the bench to ignite a 10-0 run with a jumper, a steal, and an assist. LU made four consecutive shots during that stretch to lead 28-17 but managed three points for the rest of the first half. Another key factor was Big Red's defense, which held HCU to five points as the Cardinals led 31-20 at the half.
The second half saw the Cardinals light up Neches Arena for 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the field. Forman totaled six points in the third quarter while Denley added five points to push the Cardinals to their biggest lead of the game at 15 (46-31). The Huskies quickly closed the gap to 49-39 before the buzzer sounded to bring up the final quarter.
Four points from
T'Aaliyah Miner propelled LU to a 57-42 lead at the 6:12 mark. Seven unanswered points by HCU brought them to single digits with under four minutes to go. In the end, Taylor delivered a pair of daggers from behind the three-point line, ending any HCU comeback bid.
Lamar will remain at Neches Arena Saturday as it will host UIW. The ball will be tipped at 3:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI.
