BEAUMONT, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word basketball teams will play a Southland Conference doubleheader at Lamar University on Saturday that will appear on ESPN3. The women's game starts at 2 p.m. and the men's game tips off at 4:30 p.m.
The UIW women enter the game on a three-game road winning streak within the conference. They are 6-14 overall and 3-6 in conference play and they have the second best record in the league away from home, 3-1. Eight of the team's nine conference games have been decided by six points or less. The team is averaging 57.7 points per game and allowing 63.3 points per game.
Aricka Adams (Round Rock/Round Rock HS) and
Brianna Williams (Wylie/Mesquite HS) are each averaging 13 points per game to lead the offense.
Yvonne Maosa (Arlington/Mansfield HS) is the top rebounder with 6.4 per contest and she is shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
Lamar is only 9-13 and 5-6 in the conference, but they are coming off a huge win over first place Abilene Christian on Thursday night. They are scoring 67.3 points per game and giving up 68.2 points per game. Addesha Collins leads the team with 13.9 points per game while JaMeisha Edwards is averaging 13.6 points per game and has made 46 three-pointers. Point guard Chastadie Barrs averages 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and leads the team with 83 assists and 87 steals. LU has won all three previous meetings with UIW.
On the men's side of the ledger, UIW is 11-8 overall and they have a 6-2 record in the Southland. They have won five of their last six games and have four players averaging in double figures. The team is scoring 74.2 points per game and allow 71.3 points per game. They are of the top free throw shooting teams in the nation at 75.6 percent and sophomore guard
Jontrell Walker (Aurora, IL/West Aurora HS) leads all of Division I at 92.5 percent.
Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) leads the Cardinals with 15.4 points per game and he averages 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Derail Green (Houston/Klein Forest HS), Walker and
Mitchell Badillo (Houston/Cy Falls HS) are each scoring in double figures. Badillo needs three assists to become the first player in school history with 100 assists in four straight seasons. UIW is 2-1 all-time against Lamar.
The Lamar men's team is coming off a tough loss to Sam Houston State where they trailed by 22 points and fought their way all the back to have a potential game-winning shot go in and out. Overall, they are 10-12 with a 2-8 conference mark. They are scoring 76.5 points per game and giving up 76.0 points per game. Nick Garth leads the team with 14.4 points per contest and is averaging 15.8 in conference games. He has made 55 three-pointers on the season. Dontavious Sears and Josh Nzeakor are the top rebounders on the team with 113 on the season.
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