Guest abovetherim Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 By Bob West The Port Arthur News If Lamar University’s players are half as excited about Thursday night’s Southland Conference game against Central Arkansas as the head coach is, maybe they won’t fall 14 points behind before turning up their intensity. “I’m as excited about this road trip as I’ve been in a long, long time,†Roccaforte said. “I’m sure it has something to do with the way our guys have been playing and practicing. Now we’ve reached a point where we have to get tough and win some games on the road.†The Cardinals stop in Conway, Ark., is the opener on a two-game road swing that concludes at 2 p.m. Saturday against suddenly hot Northwestern State. The Demons, after struggling through a rugged non-conference schedule 4-10, lead the SLC East at 3-1. Roccaforte, though, is not looking past a UCA team that started fast, but has struggled since losing its best player, Durrell Nevels, to a foot injury. The 6-6 Nevels, who could return tonight, averages 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. After going 10-4 in non-conference action, and opening SLC play with an overtime victory against Texas-Arlington, the Bears have fallen to Texas State (78-72), UT-San Antonio (81-77) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (76-69). “They are much improved over the team we played last year,†Roccaforte said. “Those last two losses were on the road without Nevels. They aren’t the same without him, but we are going in expecting him to play.†Lamar is coming off a wild, 93-90, overtime victory at the Montagne Center against Sam Houston State and seems to be playing its best basketball of the season. The Cardinals have won four of their last six and six of the last nine. They are 2-1 in SLC games. “We’re off to a good start,†Roccaforte said. “We won our two home games (UT-SA, Sam Houston) and made a great comeback before losing at Stephen F. Austin. We have played what are arguably two of the best teams (SFA, Sam Houston) and split with them. “We just need to keep from falling behind early, like we’ve been doing. We need more urgency at the start. We talk about it at every practice.†Like UCA, Lamar has an injury concern for tonight’s game. Junior Justin Nabors, who suffered a left shoulder injury shortly after sinking a huge three-point shot in overtime Saturday night, will be a game-time decision. Nabors, who come to Lamar having suffered a previous injury to the same shoulder, was able to participate in practice Tuesday and Wednesday. His participation, however, was limited to non-contact drills. “We’ll see how he’s feeling prior to game time,†Roccaforte said. “I really don’t have a feel for whether he’s going to be able to go.†LU’s most productive player of late has been 6-6 senior Lamar Sanders. Sanders is averaging 15.2 points and seven rebounds over the last five games, while making 75 percent (33-of-44) of his field goal attempts. He’s shooting 65.8 percent for the season and averaging 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. Two other Cardinals — point guard Kenny Dawkins (14.7) and Nabors (10.2) — are scoring at a double figure clip. Lamar’s key weapon has full court press that has created points and turnovers and speeded up games. Stephen F. Austin (53.7) and Sam Houston State (58.9) rank 1-2 in the Southland in points allowed, and the Cardinals rolled up 75 and 93, respectively against them. The Cardinals, despite committing over 16 turnovers a game, ranked No. 1 in the league in turnover differential (3.62). What that means is opponents are turning the ball over 19.8 times were game. Although Lamar had some problems with transition defense against Sam Houston, Roccaforte said that won’t deter his team from continuing to press. “We have worked on some of the things that happened to us in the Sam Houston game,†he said. “We understand that you are going to give up some easy baskets when you play like we do, but you do not want to give up as many as we did that night. “Part of that was Sam Houston and the way they attack. Stephen F. Austin, once it broke the press, didn’t go to the basket the way Sam Houston did. Some teams are aggressive, some aren’t. But it doesn’t matter. We are going to play are style and try to speed the game up.†Lamar Fact Box • When: Thursday, 7 p.m. • Where: Farris Center (5,500), Conway, Ark. • Records: LU 2-1, 8-8; UCS 1-3, 11-7 • Series: LU leads 2-0 • Last meeting: LU 86-82 on Feb. 15, 2007 in Conway • Radio: KVLI (560-AM) • Probable starters: LU: Lamar Sanders 6-6, Sr. (11.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Justin Nabors 6-6, Jr. (10.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Kenny Dawkins 5-9, Jr. (14.7 ppg, 4.3 apg); Lawrence Nwevo 6-8, Jr. (5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Matthew Barrow 6-4, Sr. (8.6 pg, 2.6 rpg); UCA: Ludrell Brewer 6-9, Jr. (4.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg); Brian Marks 6-9, Jr. (4.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Nate Bwie 6-0, Sr. (15.7 ppg, 3.7 apg); Marcus Pillow 5-11, Soph (13.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg); King Cannon 6-4, Soph. (7.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg) • LU fast fact: Cardinals Lamar Sanders .658 field goal percentage ranks No. 5 in the NCAA. He’s made 79-of-120 shots. • UCA fast fact: The Bears boast two of the top 10 scores in the SLC — No. 4 Nate Bowie (15.7) and No. 10 Marcus Pillow (13.6)
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