Feb. 15, 2006

BEAUMONT, Texas - - The Lamar University Lady Cardinal basketball will look to snap their four game losing streak Thursday night when they take on the Bearkats of Sam Houston State in Huntsville at 7 p.m. in Johnson Coliseum.

Lamar comes in to the game with a 2-8 conference record, having dropped their last contest 70-67 to UT-San Antonio on Saturday night at the Montagne Center. The Lady Cardinals, 7-13 on the season, have dropped their last four games.

Lamar is led by Junior LaToya Carson who is averaging 14.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, both of which are team-highs. She also leads the team with 34 steals. She is the leading free throw shooter in SLC this season, shooting 84.8 percent from the line, and in conference play Carson is the third leading scorer in the league, averaging 16.8 points per contest.

Senior forward Audrea Samuel is averaging 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while blocking a Southland Conference-best 2.05 blocks per game. Sophomore Chelsea Gugliotta is averaging 8.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while Bridgette Brackens is averaging 5.7 points per contest.

The Lady Cardinals have been one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country this season, shooting better than 75 percent from the charity stripe. They currently rank ninth in the NCAA in team free throw shooting, knocking down the freebies at a .755 clip.

For the season, the Lady Cardinals have been outscored by their opponents 68.4 to 64.1, while shooting .392 from the field and .266 from behind the three point line. Lamar has out rebounded their opponents 38.3 to 38.2 rebounds per game on average this season.

Sam Houston enters the game with a 3-8 record in SLC play, on the heels of a 62-44 loss at Southeastern Louisiana last Saturday. The Bearkats, who have an 8-14 overall record, are led by Adah Wells who is averaging 9.5 points per game, while Jamie Davidson is averaging 9.1 points per game.

The Bearkats are averaging 60.2 points per game while allowing an average of 66.5 points to their opponents. They are shooting .401 from the field, and .337 from behind the three point arc, while being out rebounded by their opponents 39.4 to 30.5 rebounds per contest.