Lamar sports information

HUNTSVILLE – Lamar had a four-point lead with 1:03 remaining but turnovers on their next two possessions cost the Cardinals as they fall at Sam Houston State, 71-69, Saturday night at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

“We had a lot of missed opportunities tonight,” said LU head coach Tic Price. “We didn’t capitalize when the opportunity presented itself. Sam Houston wanted this one more. We now have to go back to video, break this one down and correct the mistakes. We have to be mentally tough on the road.”

The Cardinals shot 25 of 58 (.430) from the field for the game, but struggled down the stretch. LU knocked down 10 of its first 13 to start the second half but finished just four for their next 16. The Cardinals were also outrebounded by five, 35-30, on the night.

The Bearkats (16-9, 10-3 Southland) finished the night better than 50 percent from the field after knocking 61 percent of their shots in the second half. Neither team lit things up from three-point range as the Cardinals finished the night 6 of 24 (.250), while Sam Houston was just 2 of 7 (.290).

Junior Josh Nzeakor led all scorers with 23 points – including 19 in the second half – on 9-of-11 shooting and a 5-of-6 effort at the free throw line. Junior Nick Garth came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting but was just 1 of 5 from three-point range.

Chris Galbreath led three Bearkats in double figures with 16 points.

Despite being outshot and outrebounded in the opening 20 minutes, the Cardinals (15-11, 7-6 Southland) went into the locker room tied with their host, 32-32. The Cardinals took advantage of 10 SHSU first-half turnovers scoring nine points. While Big Red turned the ball over just four times in the first half.

The Cardinals built a five-point lead midway through the second half before Sam Houston State rattled off a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead, 24-22, but the Cardinals put an end to the run on the very next feeding the ball into Colton Weisbrod for the layup. From that point on neither team gained larger than a three-point lead as it was a back-n-forth affair before the Bearkats got two free throws to tie the game heading into the locker room.

After the Bearkats opened the second half by surging back in front by four, LU got a three-pointer from senior James Harrison at the 14:57 mark to pull within a point, followed by an Nzeakor layup on the next possession to take a one-point lead. The Cardinals would not surrender that lead for the next five minutes pushing advantage to as many as four.

The Bearkats answered with a 7-0 run to reclaim a three-point advantage with 9:29 remaining. Sam Houston saw its lead climb to as many as five but LU wouldn’t let the deficit grow any larger. The Cardinals pecked away at the lead before reclaiming a two-point advantage, 67-65, on an Nzeakor layup. The Cardinals got the ball back after senior Torey Noel drew a charge on Sam Houston’s Marcus Harris. The Cardinals followed the SHSU mistake with a Nzeakor dunk to take a four-point lead with 1:03 to play but that is where it all came crashing down. The Cardinals turned the ball over on their next two possessions and the Bearkats followed with scores to edge the Red and White.

The Cardinals return to action Wednesday when they will host Incarnate Word. The game against the Cardinals will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center.