The Lamar University women’s basketball team needed two separate buzzer-beaters in order to take down Sam Houston State Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Lady Cardinals, they only got one.
Despite freshman guard Sabria Dean ending regulation with a game-tying 3-point shot that forced overtime, Lamar let a lead slip away in the extra period, eventually falling to the Bearkats 83-80 at the Montagne Center in Beaumont.
Lamar started overtime on a 6-0 run and had all the momentum at the midway point. However, Sam Houston would respond with a run of its own, scoring the final eight points in overtime. Trailing once again on the final possession, Lamar got a decent look by Micaela Wilson to tie the game, but it rimmed off to signal the end for the Lady Cardinals.
It’s the first loss for Lamar (2-8, 1-1) in Southland Conference play this season.
“We’re up six with 2:30 left in overtime — that has to be our game,” Lamar head coach Aqua Franklin said. “They made free throws, we didn’t.”
Down 10 points midway through the final period, Lamar stormed back thanks in large part to a season-high scoring performance by Wilson, who finished with 22 points. Playing against a surprise zone defense from Sam Houston, Wilson excelled.
“I just wanted to break the zone and attack,” Wilson said. “I was looking to score.”
On the final play of regulation, Sam Houston missed a pair of free throws to give Lamar a chance down three points. Wilson got the rebound and threw an outlet pass to Dean, who pulled up from the wing and hit nothing but net.
“That was a huge shot, and a smart shot,” Lamar coach Aqua Franklin said. “Her basketball IQ is very high.”
Lamar trailed for most of regulation, falling behind quickly in the first quarter. Sam Houston scored the game’s first seven points, and the Lady Cardinal struggled to find offense while adjusting a the zone defense they didn’t expect.
“I’ve never seen Sam play zone before,” Franklin said. “We practiced against man-to-man all week.”
Still, Lamar was right in the game at halftime, trailing just 36-34 at the break. The Bearkats shot 50 percent in the first half, but Lamar forced 12 turnovers to keep things close.
Sam Houston built its advantage back up to double-digits early in the fourth quarter, setting up the late comeback by Lamar. The Bearkats were paced by 29 points and 11 rebounds from Amber Leggett.
Lamar will be back in action Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M-CC at the Montagne Center.
“Sam is one of the best teams in our league, and if we play Saturday like we did tonight, we’ll be fine,” Franklin said.
Bearkats blowout LU men’s team
Coming off what coach Tic Price called a “confidence-booster” win over Houston Baptist last weekend, the Lamar University men’s basketball team couldn’t translate that momentum on the road Wednesday night at Sam Houston.
The home Bearkats (10-5, 4-0) made quick work of the Cardinals, staying unbeaten in conference play with a 96-71 victory over Lamar at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville. It was Lamar’s largest loss since starting the season with a 34-point defeat at the University of Houston.
After leading 16-14 with 12:47 left in the first half, Lamar was completely outplayed from there, and ended up trailing 53-33 at halftime. The Bearkats closed the first half on a 14-2 run.
Lamar never recovered from the disastrous run, and fell behind by as many as 36 points in the second half. Sam Houston was paced by a stellar shooting night by Zach Nutall, who scored 28 points om 11-of-14 from the field.
The Cardinals (3-10, 1-3) were led by 14 points and four steals from freshman guard Kasen Harrison. They now look ahead to a home game against Texas A&M-CC this Saturday.
mfaye@beaumontenterprise.com
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