BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — Lamar overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Houston Christian 64-56 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Monday night at Montagne Center. The Huskies led 29-23 at the break, but the Cardinals dominated the second half, outscoring Houston Christian 41-27 to secure the victory. The win improved Lamar’s record to 9-8 overall, while Houston Christian fell to 5-12. An announced crowd of 982 watched the Southland Conference contest. Lamar had been a heavy pregame favorite according to national projections.

BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — A dominant second-half surge, fueled by a career-high scoring performance from Rob Lee, propelled the Lamar Cardinals to a 64-56 victory over the Houston Christian Huskies in a Southland Conference men’s basketball game Monday night at the Montagne Center. The game, played before an announced crowd of 982, pivoted dramatically after halftime. The Huskies, who led by six points at the break, saw their offensive efficiency vanish while the Cardinals, led by Lee’s explosive 31-point outing, found their rhythm to outscore the visitors 41-27 over the final 20 minutes. Houston Christian, now 5-12 overall, controlled the first half with aggressive defense and opportunistic scoring, taking a 29-23 lead into the locker room. Lamar, improving to 9-8, struggled from the floor early, shooting just 23 points in the opening period. The Huskies’ defense was particularly disruptive, forcing nine Lamar turnovers before halftime, with Mambourou Mara of Conakry, Guinea, contributing two of his team’s three first-half blocks. The complexion of the game changed entirely after intermission. Lamar opened the second half on a 13-4 run to seize a lead it would not relinquish. The Cardinals’ offensive rating, a measure of points scored per 100 possessions, soared to 103.4 for the game, a stark contrast to Houston Christian’s 87.6. Lamar shot 45.5% from the field overall and was an efficient 7 of 18 from three-point range. Houston Christian, meanwhile, finished at 34% shooting and made only 4 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. The most important sequence of the game came during Lamar’s decisive second-half run, where Lee, a guard from Flint, Michigan, took over. After scoring 10 points in the first half, he added 21 more after the break, consistently breaking down the Huskies’ defense. His personal 8-0 burst midway through the half, which included a three-pointer, a driving layup, and three free throws, stretched a narrow Lamar lead to 44-36 and forced a Houston Christian timeout. The Huskies never got closer than four points the rest of the way. Lee’s 31 points marked a career high, surpassing his previous best of 15 set just three days earlier. He was supported by Andrew Holifield of Beaumont, Texas, who added 12 points, three assists and four blocks, showcasing the defensive presence that helped Lamar tally eight blocks as a team. KingNjhsanni Wilhite of San Francisco chipped in 10 points and four assists. Houston Christian was led by Kylin Green of Lewisville, Texas, who played 39 minutes and scored 15 points with four assists. Demarco Bethea of Sellers, South Carolina, added 13 points. The Huskies won the battle on the offensive glass, 12-8, but were undone by 12 turnovers and their frigid shooting, particularly in the second half where they managed only 27 points. Lamar’s defensive intensity was a key factor in the comeback. The Cardinals recorded nine steals and their eight blocks, led by Holifield’s four, altered numerous shots in the paint and disrupted Houston Christian’s offensive flow. The Huskies’ primary ball-handlers, Green and Demari Williams of Fulshear, Texas, combined for nine of their team’s 12 turnovers against the active Lamar perimeter defense. With the win, Lamar moves above .500 in conference play and will look to build momentum as it heads on the road for its next two games, beginning Saturday at Nicholls State. Houston Christian, mired in a three-game losing streak, returns home to host Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, seeking to halt its slide and find the consistent scoring that abandoned it in the second half in Beaumont. The final score of 64-56 fell well under the pregame over/under line of 134 points, a testament to the rugged defensive stretches from both teams, though Lamar ultimately solved the Huskies’ defensive schemes after halftime to secure the victory.

Huskies, Cardinals Seek Southland Momentum in Beaumont BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — Two teams looking to halt slides in conference play will meet when the Houston Christian Huskies visit the Lamar Cardinals in a Southland Conference men’s basketball game Monday night at the Montagne Center. Houston Christian (5-10) enters on a five-game losing streak, most recently an 81-65 home loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 5. The Huskies have struggled to find consistent offense during the skid, which followed their conference-opening win at New Orleans on Dec. 6. Lamar (7-8) has dropped its first two Southland contests, falling at McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana. The Cardinals’ 52-point output in the 60-52 loss to the Lions on Monday was a season low. A key matchup will feature two of the league’s scoring guards. Houston Christian will lean on Demarco Bethea, who is coming off a 14-point performance against Corpus Christi and has averaged 11.2 points over his last five games. For Lamar, Andrew Holifield has been a bright spot, averaging 17.2 points over his last six contests. He scored 21 at McNeese State on Jan. 2 and 24 against Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 16. The Huskies’ recent struggles have been compounded by defensive lapses, allowing an average of 80.2 points during their five-game losing streak. Lamar will aim to exploit that while improving its own ball security after committing 17 turnovers in the loss to Southeastern Louisiana. This game begins a critical stretch for both programs as they navigate the early Southland schedule. Houston Christian seeks its first conference home win, while Lamar looks to defend its home court and gain traction in the standings. Following this contest, Houston Christian will host Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 17. Lamar hits the road for a game at Nicholls State on the same date.