Lady Cards to Host Canisius

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BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women’s basketball team looks to run its home winning streak to eight games, dating back to last season, when it hosts the Canisius College Golden Griffins in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Monday at the Montagne Center.

LU (2-5) is 2-0 on its home floor this season after having won its final five home games last season. The Cardinals are outscoring their opponents by an average of 42 points per game at home this year. Monday’s game is the first game for LU since Dec. 5, as the Cardinals took a break for final exams.

“We needed to buckle down and get things taken care of in the classroom,” LU coach Robin Harmony said. “This also gave us a chance to fix things offensively and defensively. We’re definitely improving as a team.”

Canisius (5-2) should prove to be LU’s toughest test at home so far this campaign. The Golden Griffins bring a five-game winning streak into Monday’s game. Canisius is led by sophomore guard Margret Halfdanardottir, who averages 11.6 points per game. Halfdanardottir is fifth in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) of her shots from behind the arc.

As a team, Canisius is fourth in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 42.9 percent and 13^th in 3-point field-goal percentage defense at 22.8 percent, one spot behind LU, which is 12^th at 22.6 percent. The Cardinals are averaging 12.4 steals per game, which is 14^th in the nation.

“It seems every team we play is on a hot streak,” Harmony said. “Canisius is a good team that shoots the ball well and doesn’t make mistakes.

“We have to find a way to pull out a win. We have to play with passion for the entire game. We have to put 40 minutes together.”

LU freshman guard Chastadie Barrs is third in the nation in steals, averaging 4.29 thefts per game. Barrs also leads the Cardinals in rebounding (5.9 per game) and assists (31). Senior guard JaMeisha Edwardsleads LU in scoring with an average of 15.3 points per game, followed by senior guard Addesha Collins(12.1) and Barrs (11.0).

Monday’s game will mark the 250^th game as a collegiate head coach for Harmony, who is in her third year with the Cardinals. Including her stints at Miami and St. Thomas, Harmony has a career coaching record of 170-79.

Monday’s game is the start of a busy week for the Cardinals, who host Texas A&M-Kingsville at 7 p.m. Thursday before hitting the road to face the Missouri Tigers at 2 p.m. Dec. 20 in the final game before the Christmas break. Following the Missouri game, the Cardinals are idle until 7 p.m. Dec. 30 when they host Howard Payne to close out the non-conference portion of their schedule.

“It’s great to have two straight home games,” Harmony said. “We’ve been on the road so much, I’m happy we can stay at home for a couple of games.”

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