Lamar sports information
BEAUMONT — After being tied at halftime, the Cardinals of Lamar University shot 52 percent in the second half and 72 percent in the third quarter pulling away from Central Arkansas for a 57-37 victory.

The win for LU is its 36th straight at home and are now 11-4, 4-0 in Southland action. The Sugar Bears fall to 5-9, 0-4 in Southland action.

“We came into this game knowing it would be a tough game. Last season Central Arkansas gave us our only loss in Southland Conference action,” remarked head coach Robin Harmony. “We wanted to get some payback. The third and fourth quarter was Lamar basketball. Chastadie had her fourth triple-double of the year and she got it the hard way. She was our quarterback and kept everyone together.”

Moe Kinard led a trio of LU players in double-figures as she scored 18 points. Chastadie Barrs recorded her second straight triple-double (10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in the contest. This is her eighth triple-double of her career and is a Southland Conference record. Barrs also led the Cards with six steals.

The Cardinals opened the contest against the Sugar Bears struggling to score as they shot 21 percent in the first quarter of the game. A steal and a layup by Barrs put the Cardinals on the board early. After a jumper by Barrs and a three by Ashlan Miles, the Cards and Sugar Bears were tied at seven. Over the next five minutes of the quarter, LU scored three points and trailed 16-10 after one quarter of play.

Lamar cranked up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, as they only allowed Central Arkansas to score four points in the quarter. LU forced the Sugar Bears into 12 turnovers in the quarter and two-for-ten shooting.

The Cardinals defense led to transition offense as Barrs recorded a steal and went for a fast break layup tying the game at 16. With the Cards down by one, 18-17, Kinard hit a three putting the Cardinals ahead 20-18, with 4:48 left in the first half. After the three, Lamar went scoreless for the rest of the half and the game went into halftime tied at 20.

Coming out of halftime, the Cardinals looked to be a different team as they went 8-for-11 shooting in the quarter. The quarter started with a fast break layup by Kinard and a three by Miya Crump. LU slowly grew its lead to 10, 37-27, after Barrs found Kinard for a three with 3:17 left in the quarter. The Cardinals defense held the Sugar Bears to three points over the last three minutes of the quarter and took an 11, 41-30, lead into the fourth.

Over the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, Lamar grew its lead to 19 points, 49-30, after a fast break layup by Miles. On the next possession for the Cardinals, Barrs collected her tenth rebound of the game giving her back-to-back games with a triple-double. Later in the quarter, Kinard found Jadyn Pimentel for a three, putting the Cards ahead by 22, 57-35, the largest lead of the game. LU came away with a 57-37 victory for its 36th straight win at home and sixth straight.

Lamar returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana in Southland Conference action. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center.