BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University finds itself in third place in the Southland Conference standings, while trailing second-place UT Rio Grande Valley by a game. As Big Red continues its three-game road trip, it will look to draw level with the Vaqueros Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg. The game will start at 6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals (14-8, 11-4 SLC) overcame a 15-point deficit midway through the third quarter and led 57-55 with under a second to go, but Stephen F. Austin dashed their victory hopes with a miraculous three-pointer at the buzzer. While the Cardinals shot a season-low 29.5 percent from the field, Kamryn Wilson (14), R'Mani Taylor (12) and Jacei Denley (10) all reached double figures.
 
SFA HELD UNDER 60
Despite the loss, the Cardinals were the first team this season to hold SFA to under 60 points in a game. LU outscored the Ladyjacks 29-19 in the second half, including giving up seven points in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals still have the second-best defense in the Southland Conference allowing just 58.1 ppg. 
 
ANOTHER NIGERIAN NIGHTMARE
Chisom Oguego was in the starting lineup for the first time this season and finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and a season-high five steals. This was the third double-digit rebound game of the season for the junior transfer from Lagos, Nigeria. With a team-high 111 rebounds, Oguego is 20th in the conference, averaging 5.0 per game. She is also tied for fourth on the Cardinals with 29 steals, which trails overall leader Shaila Forman by three.
 
AQUA WIN WATCH
Head coach Aqua Franklin is sitting with 114 career victories and will need one more to tie Robin Harmony (2014-2019) for second all-time in program history. The record for most coaching wins all-time is held by Larry Tidwell (128), who coached from 2007-2013. 
 
THERE'S A TICKET WAITING FOR US
With only seven games remaining in the conference schedule, the Cardinals can clinch a spot in the conference tournament as early as Thursday. This would require either LU to win over the Vaqueros or Houston Christian to lose to Nicholls. 
 
LAST TIME VS. UTRGV
Back in January, the Cardinals outscored UTRGV by 10 in the fourth quarter to win 66-57 at Neches Arena. Jacei Denley (15), Solenne Olenga (13), and Kamryn Wilson (13) combined for 41 points while Olenga added 10 rebounds for a double-double. The Cardinals are 29-6 all-time against UTRGV, which includes 12 wins at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 
 
ABOUT THE VAQUEROS
The Vaqueros (15-9, 12-3 SLC) have won their last six games after defeating New Orleans, 71-53. Four players were in double figures, including Chazlyn Dettor, who scored a team-high 17 points. Jalayah Ingram leads the Vaqueros in scoring (17.4 ppg) after scoring 14 points against New Orleans. This is second in the conference behind Vernell Atamah of Northwestern State. In the last game with LU, she scored 17 points.
 
CHARLOTTE'S WEB BOARDS AND BLOCKS
While UTRGV is the only SLC school with over 1,000 rebounds (1025, 42.6 rpg), Charlotte O'Keefe stands head and shoulders above everyone with 13.6 boards per game, which is six more than second place. O'Keefe also broke the UTRGV school record for blocked shots and was named the SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week.
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will end their road trip against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday at the Hilliard Center. The game starts at 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI.