BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar entered tonight's game 10
th in the nation in steals and did not disappoint, as the Lady Cardinals forced a season-high 33 HBU turnovers – 16 via steal – en route to a 79-62 victory Thursday from the Montagne Center.
Erin McGarrachan finished two points shy of tying her career high, as she led HBU (9-14 overall, 3-9 SLC) with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 5-of-6 from the floor.
Rachel Arthur finished with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 2-of-5 from the line.
Anna Strickland chipped in with 14 points.
Tayler Jefferson had a milestone night, as she tied her career high of six rebounds and her three assists tonight eclipsed 300 career helpers.
Lamar, (14-10 overall, 11-2 SLC) which has now won six straight and clinched a berth into the SLC Tournament, was led by JaMeisha Edwards with 26 points on 7-of-18 shooting, 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Kiandra Bowers and Shaundra Long had 16 and 12 points, respectively.
HBU scored the first basket of the game with a jumper by McGarrachan, but Lamar rattled off seven unanswered as the Huskies took a timeout down five with 18:15 remaining in the opening half.
At the first media timeout of the game, at the 15:32-mark, HBU was down 14-4 and was hit by the turnover bug early, committing six turnovers to Lamar's one, while the Lady Cardinals went 6-for-7 from the floor.
Back-to-back baskets by McGarrachan culminated an 8-4 run and brought the Huskies within four, 18-12, forcing the Lady Cardinals to call a timeout with 10:50 to go. A J. Edwards three-pointer followed by a Bowers layup finished a 7-0 Lamar run, as the Lady Cardinals increased their lead to 13, 25-12, with just under eight minutes to go in the first half. Lamar would close out the first half outscoring the Huskies, 15-13, to lead HBU at the break, 40-25.
McGarrachan led HBU with 10 first-half points, while Arthur and Strickland followed with six apiece. Bowers led all scorers with 13 points, while J. Edwards added 10. Lamar forced 20 HBU turnovers, which resulted in 27 points. HBU outshot Lamar, 48 percent to 44 percent.
HBU started the second half scoring the first five points to bring within 15, but J. Edwards hit a three-pointer at the top of the key and the Lady Cardinals forced another turnover to end the Huskies' run, with HBU trailing, 48-30, with 15:49 to go in regulation.
Lamar hit four 3-pointers in a span of six minutes, the final two coming 41 seconds apart, prompting the Huskies to call a timeout down 54-34 with 13:29 remaining.
A three-point play by Arthur and a Strickland layup culminated a 6-2 HBU run to cut the deficit to 56-41 with eight-and-a-half remaining.
Arthur, who played all 20 minutes in the second half, led HBU with 12 points, while J. Edwards paced the Lady Cardinals with 16.
HBU hosts Sam Houston State Saturday at 4 pm in the annual "Play For Kay" breast cancer awareness game, sponsored by Houston Federal Credit Union.
