WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Cards chase 21st straight Montagne victory

Published 8:58 pm Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT – The Lamar Cardinals go for their 21st straight home win when they host the Incarnate Word Cardinals at 7 p.m. Thursday in a Southland Conference women’s basketball game at the Montagne Center.

The game was originally set for 7 p.m. Wednesday but was postponed for one day due to unsafe travel conditions in Texas.

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An LU win Thursday would match the 21-game home winning streak that LU had over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

LU (9-6 overall, 4-1 Southland) is 5-0 at home this season, outscoring the visitors by an average of 48 points per game. The Cardinals enter the week leading the Southland Conference in scoring, averaging 78.9 points per game this season. LU averages 100.4 points per game at home this season.

Moe Kinard leads LU in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. Chastadie Barrs is averaging 12.3 points per game for LU, while DeA’ngela Mathis averages 10.1 points per game. Mathis is averaging a team-best 17.4 points per game in SLC play. Mathis had her first career double-double in LU’s last game, collecting 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-58 win at Southeastern Louisiana on Jan. 10.

Barrs has a chance to set the Southland Conference record for career steals. The LU junior, who has at least one steal in all 76 games she has played, has 356 career thefts, just three behind the SLC mark of 359 set by Nina Randle of Louisiana-Monroe. Barrs leads the nation with an average of 6.07 steals per game this season.

Incarnate Word (3-13, 2-3) is 1-8 on the road this season. Imani Robinson leads UIW in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game.

LU is 6-0 all-time against Incarnate Word, including a 3-0 mark at the Montagne Center, including an 83-54 win last season as four LU players scored in double figures. Kiandra Bowers had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds for LU. Kinard had 21 points, Ashlan Miles had 18 points and Kiara Desamours added 12 points in the win.

Thursday’s game starts a stretch that sees LU play six of its next seven games at home. LU hosts Sam Houston State at 2 p.m. Saturday before a road game at Nicholls on Jan. 24. After that, LU has a four-game homestand that sees the Cardinals welcome McNeese State on Jan. 27, Abilene Christian on Jan. 31, Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 3 and Northwestern State on Feb. 7.

Thursday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

PROMOTIONS: Fans attending Thursday’s game will receive free Cardinal Nation rally towels while supplies last. There will be a postgame autograph session with the team’s sophomore student-athletes.