HAMMOND, La. — Lamar University had five players in double figures led by a game-high 23 from Nate Calmese, but the Cardinals fell in overtime, 89-84, Saturday afternoon in Hammond. The loss drops LU to 4-12 on the season and 0-3 in Southland Conference play.
The Cardinals had one of their best shooting performances of the season knocking down 32-of-62 (.516) attempts. LU was just as consistent from long range converting 12-of-24 (.500) three-point attempts.
LU was hurt by turnovers coughing the ball up 20 times which led to 25 points in a game that came down to the wire.
Southeastern Louisiana finished the day 28-of-68 (.412) from the field, including a 10-of-29 (.345) effort on three-pointers. The Lions were led by 16 points from Roger McFarlane and Alec Woodard.
Joining Calmese in double figures was junior Chris Pryor with 19 points (on 3-of-4 shooting from long range), freshman Yuto Yamanouchi (14 points and 19 rebounds), Cody Pennebaker (11) and freshman Brian Gordon (10).
The Cardinals got out to a quick start knocking down six of their first nine attempts and never took their foot off the accelerator. LU jumped out to a 12-6 lead, but Southeastern went on a 6-0 run to tie the game.
After starting the game two for its first six, the Lions then knocked down four of their next five attempts, including three triples. The three-pointers sparked a 15-3 run to give SLU a double-digit lead. Pennebaker put an end to the run with a triple of his own.
It appeared the Lions were attempting to run and hide but Big Red began to battle back. Sparked by a fastbreak bucket from Calmese, the Cardinals closed the half with a 12-2 run to trim the deficit down to just three. The Cardinals had one final opportunity in the half getting the ball back with six seconds left but couldn’t get a shot off.
The Cards carried their hot shooting through the opening half. LU finished the half shooting 14-of-26 (.538), including a 4-of-7 (.571) performance from three-point range.
The Lions were 12-of-31 (.387) in the opening 20 minutes but managed to hang in the game due to some strong shooting from long range and taking advantage of LU miscues. SLU converted 6-of-19 (.316) three-point attempts and turned 11 LU turnovers into 10 points.
The Cardinals came out in the second half and immediately tied the game up with a Calmese three. The Red and White got the ball right back and followed up with a Pennebaker three to give the Cards a two-point lead (40-38) and push their run to 18-3.
After the Lions got the lead back, the Cardinals again turned to Calmese who buried another three to reclaim the advantage. The Cardinals got a stop on the defensive end which led to a Yamanouchi offensive rebound as the Cardinals made it a two-possession game.
Unfortunately, the Lions responded with an 11-0 run which appeared to be the knockout punch, but LU had another run remaining. After two Yamanouchi free throws stopped the run, the Cardinals turned to Pryor who sparked a 12-4 LU run to give the Cards back a two-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. Pryor buried three shots during that stretch including a triple.
The Lions responded by scoring the next six points to take a two-point lead, 72-70, late in the contest. Leading by one, SLU converted 1-of-2 at the free throw line to take a two-point lead with six seconds remaining. Calmese took the inbound pass the length of the floor and knocked down a layup to tie the game at 75 with 0.6 of a second remaining.
It appeared the Lions hit a free-throw line jumper to win the game at the buzzer, but the basket was waved off after a review forcing overtime.
After taking the early lead in the extra frame, the Lions got a three-pointer from Roscoe Eastmond to take an 83-76 lead with 3:15 remaining, and the Cardinals never reclaimed the advantage as the Lions outscored Big Red, 14-9, in the overtime.
The Cardinals return to action Thursday when they return home to host Nicholls. The game against the Colonels will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Montagne Center.