LU forward Akasha Davis battles for the rebound against four McNeese State defenders, March 1, at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center.
UP photos by Brian Quijada
Lamar forward Akasha Davis became Lamar’s all-time leading rebounder on Senior Day as she and four other seniors, T’Aaliyah Miner, Taliah Hill, Cameron Dill, and Justice Ross, led the Lady Cardinals to a 69-60 win over rival McNeese State, March 1, at the Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center.
The Lady Cardinals got off to a good start in the first quarter after the Cowgirls scored the first three points. LU guard Jacei Denely ended the quarter with six points as LU finished ahead, 18-14.
The Cowgirls offense came out strong after the break, tying the game at 22 in the first five minutes of the second quarter. The Lady Cards responded with six unanswered points to finish the half up 32-26.
LU came into the second half hot, going on a 7-3 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter to build a 50-42 lead going into the final stanza.
The Lady Cards sealed the win in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 11 points, not allowing the Cowgirls to get any closer than six points the rest of the game.
“At the end of the day we found a way to win,” LU head coach Aqua Franklin said. “That’s the most important side of the ‘W.’
“McNeese did a great job of exploiting us on the one-on-one matchups. We gotta do a better job of keeping people in front of us. But overall, (I’m) just really happy for our team to finish out such a great year at home and protect our home court. We only had one loss in conference play here, but really proud of our team for finding a way.”
Senior Davis finished the game with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season.
“ It’s been a privilege and honor to coach her,” Franklin said. “What an awesome kid, what a great human she is. I think that we got a special kid who will always be a Cardinal, and I think one day we’ll see her name up in the rafters, because of how special she was for us for four years. I’m just really proud of her. Obviously, I’m happy that we have more basketball to play with her.”
Joining Davis in double-digit scoring were Jacei Denley with 16, Sabria Dean with 14, and T’Aaliyah Miner who also scored a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
With the win, Lamar clinched the second seed in the upcoming Southland Conference tournament. LU are now 21-7 overall, and 16-3 in SLC play.
The Lady Cardinals conclude the regular season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, March 5, before heading to the Southland Conference tournament, beginning March 12 in Lake Charles, La.