FRESNO, Calif. – After an impressive season-opening victory over Austin College that saw second-year head coach Tic Price's youthful squad score 101 points to record a home-opening win, the Lamar University men's basketball team will now step up in competition to take on Fresno State. The Bulldogs enter the contest with an identical record after knocking off Pepperdine, 69-66, in their season opener.
 
Although the Cardinals entered the opener as the favorite on paper, it was still the first NCAA Division I game for the majority of Price's squad, and the first collegiate game for several members of the team. LU quickly erased any fear of nerves by jumping on Austin College early. The Cards jumped out to a 4-0 lead when sophomore Kevin Booze hit a three-pointer and was fouled on the team's first possession and never looked back.
 
The Cardinals finished the night with four players in double figures, led by junior Marcus Owens who had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Junior college transfer Lincoln Davis scored 13 points, while senior LeMon Gregory and freshman Nick Garth each added 10.
 
Every LU player who entered the game scored at least two points and pulled down at least two rebounds.
 
Just as impressive as the offensive output – which tied for the seventh-best season-opening score by a Cardinal team in program history – was how dominant LU was on the glass. Big Red pulled down 71 rebounds and outrebounded their guests by 30. It was the most rebounds by the Red and White since the 1977 season.
 
Fresno State's season-opening victory was at the opposite end of the spectrum from LU's blowout win. The Bulldogs rallied from a halftime deficit for a thrilling three-point win over the Waves. FSU trailed 38-30 after shooting 32 percent from the field, and just 1-of-8 (.125) from beyond the arc, but the Bulldogs picked up the pace in the second half. Led by Marvelle Harris' 23 points and Torren Jones' 13 points and 14 rebounds, Fresno State shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes to hand their fans an exciting victory.
 
When the Cardinals step on the court Monday evening against Fresno, it will be just the second meeting in series history and the first since the 1981-82 season. That year FSU recorded a 20-point win, 56-36, in front of their home fans.
 
Monday's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. (9 p.m. Beaumont time) from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, and will open up a three-game road swing that will see LU travel from one coast to the other (Delaware State) before returning to Texas to take on Rice.
 
-LU CARDINALS-