BEAUMONT, Texas — Senior Avery Sullivan closed out the final home game of his Lamar University career with an 11-point, 12-rebound effort, while sophomore David Muoka added 12 rebounds and 13 points to lead LU to a 66-47 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday evening at the Montagne Center.
Wednesday's contest was a rescheduled game from one postponed earlier in the season and moves Big Red to 7-17 on the season and 5-10 in Southland Conference play.
"I thought our defense did an exceptional job tonight and really kept us in the game until our offense got it going," said LU head coach Tic Price. "Both Avery Sullivan and David Muoka did a great job down low, and Kasen and Davion gave us some big baskets when we needed them."
The Cardinals got out a slow start in the second half, but quickly picked up the pace shooting 14-of-27 (.519) in the final 20 minutes and better than 49 percent for the game. Big Red also finished the night 6-of-14 (.429) from three-point range, but for one of the few times this season struggled from the free throw line. LU also led on the boards with a 40-34 rebound advantage.
The Cardinals took advantage of Corpus Christi's turnovers. The Islanders were forced into 17 mistakes on the night which led to a 24-10 advantage in fast break points.
Junior Davion Buster and freshman Kasen Harrison led LU with 15 points as the Cardinals finished the game with four players in double figures.
The Islanders managed to keep the game close in the first half, but the longer the game wore on the more LU's defense began to cause problems. A&M-Corpus Christi finished the night shooting less than 33 percent from the field and just 30 percent from the three-point range.
A&M-Corpus Christi also hurt itself at the free throw line Monday. The Islanders went to the line more times than LU but converted fewer than 36 percent of their attempts.
LU didn't allow any player on the Islanders' roster to hit double figures as Simeon Fryer and Ladu Laku led the way with nine.
For a game that saw no more than a nine-point lead in the first half, and just a five-point advantage at halftime, the Cardinals allowed just a small bit of excitement in the final 20 minutes before putting the wraps on the contest. After a De'Lazarus Keys basket tied the game less than three minutes into the half, the Cardinals responded with a 12-2 run to take a 10-point advantage with 11:31 remaining in the contest. Four minutes later Big Red pushed its advantage to 18 points and never looked back pushing their lead to as many as 23 before the final score.
The Cardinals close out the season Saturday when they travel to Lake Charles, La., for the rematch with McNeese. The Battle of the Border – Part II, will tip of at 4 p.m. from Burton Coliseum.
Lamar keeps their postseason hopes alive with victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
The Cardinals close out the season Saturday when they travel to Lake Charles, La., for the rematch with McNeese. Tip off is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Burton Coliseum