Hopkins, Todd help LU extend winning streak to 10 games

[Guest abovetherim]

By Bob West

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT — Those deafening noises you may have heard coming from south Beaumont Saturday night weren’t thunder, sonic booms or refinery explosions. No, it was the seventh largest basketball crowd in Lamar University history helping the sizzling Cardinals wake up the echoes of tradition.

With a noisy, homecoming throng announced at 8,338 raising the roof, Lamar outslugged Northwestern State 103-95 for its 10th consecutive victory. Not only did the resounding triumph match the fourth longest winning streak in school history, it also clinched no worse than the No. 2 seed for the Southland Conference post-season tourney.

The Cardinals, at 11-1 in league play and 17-8 overall, are guaranteed being SLC East champs and own a one-game lead over 10-2 Stephen F. Austin for the No. 1 seed. Northwestern State dropped to 8-5 and 12-15.

This one was as wild as the score makes it sound, although LU wound up having to sweat more than it probably should have. The Cardinals led by 17 with 4:06 to play, then saw Northwestern State climb as close as 101-95 with 15 seconds left before a pair of free throws by Currye Todd turned out the lights.

In a game of spurts, runs, and turnovers, the one constant was red-clad fans ratcheting up the noise level.

“It was so loud you couldn’t hear coach calling out the plays,†said Darren Hopkins, who was the player of the game for the Cardinals with 22 points and five assists. Hopkins sank 7-of-11 from the field, 4-of-7 on treys and his early three balls set the tone for the Cardinals.

“We have never played before a crowd like that at home,†said Todd, who added 20 points, drained 3-of-7 treys and was 7-of-7 at the foul line. “It was great. The student section was up and participating. It was so much fun to play in an atmosphere like that.â€

Both teams were on fire with their shooting, with Lamar making 30-of-55 (54.5 percent) from the field and 11-of-23 (47.8 percent on treys). Northwestern State answered with 49.2 percent from the floor (29-of-59) and 50 percent on threes (14-of-28).

Lamar won the game at the foul line, sinking 32-of-43 for 74.4 percent to the Demons 23-of-35 (65.7 percent) in the whistle-marred contest. A total of 58 fouls, many of them mysterious, were called by one of those bottom-of-the barrel crews you get in the Southland Conference on a Saturday night.

Though Northwestern was assessed 32 times to Lamar’s 26, the Cardinals spent much of the second out sweating out foul trouble. The Cardinals eventually lost Lamar Sanders and Justin Nabors, and Tristan Worrell and Jay Brown finished with four fouls.

“It seemed like we were managing foul trouble the whole second half,†said Cardinal coach Steve Roccaforte. “We were playing four guards at the end.â€

The downside of this one for Lamar was sloppy ball handling from point guards Kenny Dawkins and Brandon McThay. Dawkins offset 20 points and six assists with nine turnovers. McThay added five turnovers, as Lamar committed 15 in the first half and 24 overall. The Demons cashed them in for 21 points.

LU, however, managed 28 points off 23 Northwestern turnovers.

The Cardinals, after blowing separate leads of 10 and nine points in the opening period, took a 55-48 lead to the break when Todd converted a four-point play with 4.5 seconds left. While a rarity, it wasn’t even the first four pointer of the night.

Northwestern’s Trey Gilder, who would go on to score 23 points, swished a three, was fouled and made the free throw at the 13:11 mark of the opening period. Gilder would be a thorn all night for the Cardinals, but it was Colby Bargeman (6-of-8 threes) who did the most damage with 30 points.

Lamar quickly built its lead after the half, with treys by Hopkins and Justin Nabors igniting a 22-10 burst in the first eight minutes. A Hopkins slam capped the run and gave the Cardinals a 77-58 lead at 12:19. The largest margin was 21 points — 86-65 — at 8:20.

That’s when the Demons started playing kamikaze basketball. They began raining in threes and getting help from Lamar turnovers and poor shooting decisions with too much time on the shot clock. Northwestern’s rally was also assisted by some really strange officiating.

All’s well that ends well, though, and this one ended with Lamar’s 12th consecutive victory in the Montange Center. Included is a perfect 7-0 in the SLC and a fifth time to score 100 or more points. That’s the most the Cardinals have been over the century mark since Mike Newell’s 1992-93 teamdid it five times.

Lamar faces a tough road the rest of the way, however, with three of its final four regular-season games away from home. Next up is a TV game (FSN) Wednesday night at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

http://www.panews.com/sports/local_story_055004401.html?start:int=15

[Guest abovetherim]

Hope there were some recruits in the stands tonight? When I broke away at work to catch the sports segment on KFDM I was blown away by the crowd tonight.

Thanks to all those who attended the game and I hope you all had a great time and will be back for Senior Night as we say goodbye to Lamar Sanders, Currye Todd and Darren Hopkins.