BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior guard Shawn Johnson scored a game-high 27 points – one shy of his career high set last season against Rice – and tied his season high of five 3-pointers made, but Lamar came away with an 85-62 win Wednesday evening from the Montagne Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Lamar (16-11 overall, 8-6 SLC), in a battle for the final playoff spot, scored the game's first five points before UIW's (5-18, 0-13) Keaton Hervey knocked down a three-pointer at the 17:35-mark of the opening half. Nick Garth came down and answered with a three-pointer of his own to bring the host Cardinals back up by five.

Lamar continued to lead by five until Garth forced a steal and fed the ball to Torey Noel for a seven-point advantage.

Garth continued to roll, hitting a triple, then forcing another steal resulting in another basket for Lamar, resulting in a UIW timeout down by 10 (19-9) at the halfway point of the first half.

Charles Brown III forced a Lamar steal and nailed a triple to cut the deficit to seven, but Lamar remained in control, leading by no fewer than seven the remainder of the half. LU led UIW at the break, 40-29, as UIW had no answer for Garth, who led all scorers with 13 points on perfect shooting (4-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc).

The second half saw Lamar start off with a three-pointer from Zjori Basha 42 seconds into the half, as the Cardinals led by double digits the remainder of the contest.

LEADERS

Johnson finished with a game-high 27 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor (7-for-14), 56 percent from beyond the arc (5-for-9), and 80 percent from the charity stripe (8-for-10). His career high of 28 points came on November 26, 2016, against Rice. It marks the third time the New Orleans native has scored 20-plus points, and the second time in the last three games.

Brown III finished with 15 points while Cody Graham dished out a game-best five assists.

Garth came off the bench to score 19 points, while Josh Nzeakor (16) and Bosha (15) also scored in double figures.

UP NEXT

UIW returns home to face Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. The contest will be the annual Military Appreciation game, where active military and/or veterans with their ID will receive two complimentary tickets. Additional tickets for family members and friends will be at a reduced price of $5.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals host Northwestern State next Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

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