C. Arkansas beats Lamar for first Southland tourney win
KATY, Texas -- League Player of the Year Jordan Howard scored 26 points and Central Arkansas shut down Lamar in the second half for its first-ever Southland Conference Tournament win in Wednesday night's opener.
Matthew Mondesir scored 12 points and Mathieu Kamba and Thatch Unruh added 11 apiece for the seventh-seeded Bears (17-15), who face No. 3 Stephen F. Austin in Thursday's quarterfinal.
Trailing 33-31 at halftime after 12 lead changes, Lamar opened with a 13-3 run capped by DeAndre Love's 3 and led 44-36 as the Bears struggled offensively early in the second half. But Lamar went cold as the Bears' defense stiffened, and UCA led 61-55 on Kamba's putback after holding the Cardinals scoreless for seven minutes.
The Bears finished on a 15-2 run with Howard hitting four free throws for a 65-57 lead with 31 seconds to go while the Cardinals scored just two points in the final nine minutes.
Josh Nzeakor scored a career-high 23 points for the No. 6 seed Cardinals (20-12), who shot 37.1 percent from the field.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Rodrick Dixon
- Dave Cusick
- Kerby Sitton
2023-24 ASUN Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky | 12-4 | - | 17-14 |
| Stetson | 11-5 | 1 | 22-13 |
| Lipscomb | 11-5 | 1 | 20-12 |
| Austin Peay | 10-6 | 2 | 19-16 |
| North Florida | 9-7 | 3 | 16-16 |
| North Alabama | 8-8 | 4 | 15-17 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 8-8 | 4 | 14-18 |
| Queens University | 7-9 | 5 | 14-19 |
| Kennesaw State | 6-10 | 6 | 15-16 |
| Jacksonville | 5-11 | 7 | 16-17 |
| Central Arkansas | 5-11 | 7 | 9-23 |
| Bellarmine | 4-12 | 8 | 8-23 |
2023-24 Southland Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNeese | 17-1 | - | 30-4 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 14-4 | 3 | 21-12 |
| Nicholls | 13-5 | 4 | 20-14 |
| Lamar | 12-6 | 5 | 19-14 |
| SE Louisiana | 10-8 | 7 | 15-17 |
| Northwestern State | 7-11 | 10 | 9-23 |
| Texas A&M-Commerce | 6-12 | 11 | 13-20 |
| New Orleans | 4-14 | 13 | 10-23 |
| Houston Christian | 4-14 | 13 | 6-23 |
| Incarnate Word | 3-15 | 14 | 8-23 |
Men's College Basketball News
