Dec. 2, 2008

Box Score

BEAUMONT - The Lamar University women's basketball team overcame a slow start Tuesday afternoon against Alcorn State for a 57-49 win at the Montagne Center.

The Lady Cardinals struggled out of the gate against the Lady Braves who jumped out to an early 12-3 lead. Lamar turned the ball over seven times in the first six minutes, and fell into the nine point hole with 14:20 to play in the game.

The Lady Cards snapped their offensive drought with a Nikki Williams layup with 13:06 to play in the opening half, a basket that would turn the tide in Lamar's direction. After Williams' bucket, LU rattled off 16 straight points to take a 19-12 lead with 7:56 to play, and never looked back.

Their offensive outburst continued for the remainder of the first half as they finished out the final 13 minutes on a 28-10 run for a 33-21 halftime lead.

Lamar continued to hold on to a comfortable lead for the majority of the second half, but a late ASU run closed the gap to just four points with 1:59 to play in the game. The Lady Cards responded to Alcorn's surge by scoring the final four points of the game over the last 1:39.

Darika Hill led the way for Lamar, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Ang Green chipped in with 10 points. Trashanna Smith and Brittney Williams turned in solid performances as well, as Smith ripped down 12 rebounds and scored eight points and Williams finished with nine points.

As a team the Lady Cardinals shot 38.8 percent from the field, while the Lady Braves hit 25.2 percent of their shots. Lamar also won the rebounding and turnover battle, grabbing 38 rebounds and giving the ball away 26 times, while Alcorn had 33 boards and 30 give aways.

The win improves Lamar's record to 3-1 on the year, while Alcorn State falls to 0-7. The Lady Cardinals will be back in action on tomorrow night at 7:00 when they host the LSU Shreveport Lady Pilots at the Montagne Center.