McNeese defeats Lamar 82-70
McNeese Edges Out Lamar in Thrilling Conference Showdown
The Legacy Center was electric on Saturday night as the McNeese Cowboys hosted their conference rivals, the Lamar Cardinals. In a tightly contested game, the home team emerged victorious, 82-70, behind a strong all-around performance.
Going into halftime, the score was knotted at 39-39, but the Cowgirls took control of the tempo in the second half, outscoring their opponents by 15 points to seal the win. McNeese's dominant rebounding effort, led by Carl Cherenfant's 8 boards and 6 points, proved crucial in stifling Lamar's offense.
Larry Johnson was the top scorer for McNeese, posting a double-double with 19 points on 58.3% shooting from the field. His consistent outside threat also accounted for 1 three-pointer made out of six attempts. The team shot an impressive 75.0% at the free throw line, converting all 30 attempts.
For Lamar, Andrew Holifield led the way with 21 points, including 6 three-pointers on 12 successful attempts, but his shots were limited by McNeese's defensive prowess. Braden East provided significant scoring off the bench, totaling 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to bolster Lamar's efforts.
The statistics show a difference in field goal percentages between the teams: McNeese shot an eFG% of 54.2%, while Lamar struggled with just 41.7%. Despite this disparity, both teams committed a similar number of turnovers (8 for McNeese and 10 for Lamar), highlighting that defense played a significant role in the final outcome.
McNeese's win not only marked their first conference victory but also demonstrated the strength of their home court advantage at Legacy Center, where they now sit at 82 points. With this performance, they asserted themselves as contenders in the conference standings.
In conclusion, McNeese's balanced attack and defensive superiority proved too much for Lamar to overcome on Saturday night. As the teams head into their next matchups, fans can expect more thrilling contests between these two conference foes.