Lamar sports information

LAKE CHARLES – In a season full of heartbreak and disappointment, the Lamar men’s basketball team (11-15, 3-11 Southland) finally had its opportunity to celebrate.

For the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Cardinals rolled into Lake Charles and knocked off rival McNeese State, 87-76 – a skid that consumed 15 games. It is the first Southland Conference win over the Cowboys in Lake Charles since the 1986-87 season.

In addition to ending their struggles on the road against the Cowboys, LU also put an end to eight-game slide that dates back to Jan. 16. The victory also keeps the Cards’ hopes alive for the Southland Conference Championship tournament in Katy next month.

“I’m very happy for our guys today,” said LU head coach Tic Price. “Through everything they have faced, they never quit fighting and they were rewarded with a win today. I thought we played sound, unselfish basketball. We had 19 assists and only six turnovers. When you don’t turn the ball over, you are at least giving yourself a chance to score on every possession. We also did a good job of executing to our second and third options.”

The Cardinals finished the day with one of their best shooting performances of the season. LU knocked down better than 51 percent of their shots, including a 10-of-19 (.526) effort from beyond the arc. McNeese was 25-of-56 (.446) from the field, and held to a 6-of-19 (.316) performance from beyond the arc.

The Cowboys outrebounded LU by nine, 39-30, but Big Red overcame that disparity by forcing 14 turnovers and converting those into 20 points.

Junior Marcus Owens led all scorers with his 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while sophomore Kevin Booze added 13 points and five assists (with no turnovers). Sophomore Dorian Chatman had another strong outing with 13 points, while Josh Nzeakor added eight points and eight rebounds. The Cowboys were led by Jamaya Burr’s 20 points.

“Marcus gave us a much needed boost this afternoon,” said Price. “Dorian Chatman and Kevin Booze also gave us some very solid play today.”

The Cowboys scored eight of the game’s first 10 points, but LU settled down and rattled off an 8-2 run of their own to tie the game up at 10 just over five minute into the contest. The Cardinals got balanced scoring down the lineup in the opening half, and took their first lead of the game, 22-21, on a three-pointer from Booze.

Although the Cowboys responded with a three-pointer of their own, it was LU that had captured the momentum. Following the three-pointer, Big Red went on a 16-0 run to build a commanding 40-24 lead with 4 minutes remaining in the half.

After the Cowboys cut the deficit down to 11 points, LU responded with another run capped by a Owens’ three-pointer to take a 48-31 lead with 36 seconds remaining. The Cardinals forced a miss at the other end of the floor and LU got the ball back with time left on the clock. Owens grabbed an offensive rebound off a Booze miss and fed junior Preston Mattingly under the basket for an easy layup. The basket gave LU a 50-31 advantage heading into the locker room.

The Cards were led by 12 points from Owens and eight each from Booze and Chatman in the first half. LU finished the half 21-of-34 (.618) from the field, including 8-of-13 (.615) from three-point range. Despite being outrebounded in the opening 20 mintues, LU held a slim advantage in second chance points, 6-4. The Cardinals also took advantage of eight McNeese turnovers outscoring the Cowboys, 12-0, in points off turnovers.

Although trailing by 19 heading into halftime, the Cowboys still managed to shoot nearly 41 percent for the half, 11-of-27, and managed to outscore the Cardinals’ bench by one, 12-11.

The Cowboys came out in the second half with more intensity on the offensive end of the floor. McNeese knocked down six of their first 11 attempts in the second half to cut LU’s lead down to 10, 61-51, nine minutes into the second half.

McNeese State took advantage of the Cardinals’ slower start shooting the ball in the second half (6-16/.375), trimming the LU lead down to five, 69-64, with 6:16 remaining. The Cardinals responded to the McNeese run by pushing their lead back to double figures and the Cowboys never got the deficit back to single digits.

“We came out strong to start the game, and we knew they would make a run in the second half,” said Price. “They have a very talented team. I’m just proud of our guys for how they continue to fight. We have a very resilient team. It was about time for us to breakthrough. We’ve been playing so many teams close. I couldn’t be happier for these guys.”

 

The Cardinals return to action Monday to host Stephen F. Austin. The game against the Lumberjacks will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center, and will be webcast on ESPN3.com.