BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals will close the 2025-26 regular season looking to put an end to a six-game slide while at the same time securing one of the last few remaining spots in the upcoming Southland Conference Championship tournament. For Lamar to do this, it will have to come on the road as it ends the regular season with trips to UIW and Houston Christian.
 
The first test for Lamar (12-17/7-13 SLC) will be UIW. It has been a tough stretch for LU dating back to a Feb. 7 loss at league-leading Stephen F. Austin. Big Red appeared to snap that skid Monday but got turned away when Nicholls hit a game-winning shot with one second on the clock.
 
The Cardinals now sit in a tie for eighth in the standings a game back of Northwestern State but just a game up on UIW.
 
San Antonio's version of the Cardinals (11-18/6-14 SLC) have been trying to right the ship on their own struggles down the stretch. UIW has dropped five of the past six but has split its last two games with the win coming at East Texas A&M.
 
Lamar owns a 14-8 (.636) all-time series record and has had some success in at the McDermott Center (5-5/.500). UIW is always tough at home and is 8-5 (.613) this season.
 
Saturday's game will tip off at 4 p.m. from the McDermott Center. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.
 
LU vs. the UIW Cardinals
Lamar University holds a 14-8 (.636) all-time record against UIW, but the series is evened up when the two teams meet in San Antonio (5-5/.500). While Lamar has won two of the past three meetings, the good guys head to the Alamo City looking for their first win at the McDermott Center since the 2022-23 season. LU recorded a 12-point decision in the first meeting in Beaumont back in January.
 
A bEAST on the Boards
After missing Saturday's game, sophomore Braden East was back up to his usual work on the boards. The Houston native pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds against Nicholls. He has recorded double-figure rebounds in 15 games and currently leads the Southland averaging 9.1 rebounds per game and is second in the league pulling down 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Double-Double
Sophomore Braden East has been one of the best double-double men in the Southland Conference as well as the nation this season. He currently leads the Southland, and is tied for 16th nationally, with 13 double-doubles.
 
Keeping a Lowe Profile
Freshman Eian Lowe was inserted in the starting lineup Saturday and rewarded head coach Alvin Brooks' decision with one his best games of the season. Lowe ended the night with 13 points and four assists. It is the fourth time this season that Lowe has hit the double-figure mark, including twice in the past three games.
 
Century Mark
Last week, senior Andrew Holifield reached a career milestone becoming just the fifth Cardinal to record 100 career blocks. This coming in less than two full seasons with the program. He currently needs just one more block to move into fourth all-time at LU (Thomas Fairley - 105). He is currently third in the SLC averaging 1.7 per game.
 
Building on the Past
Head coach Alvin Brooks has a direct link to Lamar's successful history. One in a long line of Cardinal standout point guards, Brooks guided the Red and White to a 47-16 (.746) overall record, two conference titles, the NCAA Sweet 16, a 3-2 record in the NCAA Championship tournament and graduated as the school's all-time leader in assists. He is also a member of the Cardinals Hall of Honor.