Cowgirls close out 2022 on sour note, fall to Lamar in conference opener
Published 7:21 pm Saturday, December 31, 2022
- Stephanie Guihon is whistled for a charge on Aasia Sam during their game at The Legacy Center in Lake Charles, La., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. Guihon scored 17 points Saturday as the Cowgirls lost at Lamar 82-61 in their Southland Conference opener. (Rick Hickman / Lake Charles American Press File Photo)
It has not been the type of start the Cowgirls wanted or expected.
Not to the season, not to the conference and certainly not for Saturday’s game in Beaumont, Texas.
McNeese State’s women’s basketball team closed 2022 and opened Southland Conference play with a thud against rival Lamar in the Montagne Center.
The Lady Cardinals used a strong opening to knock off McNeese 82-61, improving to 7-5, 1-0. The Cowgirls fell to 3-9, 0-1, falling for the third straight time.
A poor first quarter told the story as Lamar came out firing. After falling behind 4-0 the Cards went on a 14-0 run to take control for good.
Portia Davis led the charge with three straight 3-pointers. Davis finished the quarter going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc as Lamar led 23-11 after the opening 10 minutes.
The second quarter wasn’t much better as an 8-0 Lamar run helped push the lead to 42-20 with just over three minutes before the break. The Cardinals led 47-30 at the half.
Sabria Dean led all scorers 20 points while Akasha Davis added 16 and seven rebounds to lead Lamar. Stephanie Guidon was the only McNeese player in double figures with 17.
The Cardinals outscored McNeese 36-9 from beyond the 3-point line, hitting 12 of 22. The Cowgirls managed just 3-of-16 shooting from the same spots.
The Cowgirls managed to cut the lead to 13 in the third but Lamar closed with a flurry thanks to a three by Dean and led 67-44 entering the fourth quarter.
McNeese finished with 18 turnovers which led to 24 Lamar points.
McNeese will return home to play Northwestern State Thursday night at 5 p.m. in the Legacy Center.
