Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT — Former Southland rivals square off tonight when the Lamar Cardinals (2-1) host UTSA.

The Cardinals return to the friendly confines of the Montagne Center after a seven-day, two-game road trip that saw LU record a split with Oregon State and Fresno State. The Cardinals pulled the stunner against the Beavers, 63-60, in Corvallis, but watched as Fresno turned a close game into a 19-point victory late Saturday afternoon.

“I was really pleased with our effort defensively at Oregon State,” said Price. “Our work ethic on defense allowed us to overcome some struggles on offense. Against Fresno, I think all the traveling caught up with us. We looked sluggish out of the gate. We weren’t able to finish shots and left a lot short.”

The Cardinals will now turn their focus to a UTSA squad that is 1-3 (.250) on the season. The Roadrunners opened the year with three consecutive losses but head to the Golden Triangle coming off a 10-point victory over a very talented Prairie View A&M squad. UTSA has struggled on the road during the early stages of the new season with all three setbacks coming away from the Convocation Center.

The two teams already have a couple common opponents, with mixed results, despite being just a few games into the 2016-17 campaign. The Cardinals defeated OSU by three points, but suffered a 19-point setback to Fresno State. UTSA opened the year with a three-point setback against the Bulldogs before dropping a 72-64 decision at Oregon State.

Big Red comes into the midweek contest looking to become the first LU squad to start a season 3-1 since the 2008-09 team opened the year 5-0. The Cardinals’ West Coast split had them squaring off against two teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament a season ago.

The Roadrunners average less than 70 points per game, and have connected on just 19-of-76 (.250) three-point attempts, but have done a good job on the glass. UTSA is outrebounding opponents by more than seven rebounds per contest, while the Cardinals have been outrebounded by five per game.

One player who doesn’t seem to have a problem on the glass is junior college transfer Colton Weisbrod. A former first-team NJCAA All-American, Weisbrod has scored in double-figures in each of the first three games and posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He currently leads the team averaging nearly 14 points and better than eight rebounds per game.