BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — Two Southland Conference men’s basketball teams seeking momentum for the final stretch of the regular season will meet Monday when the Lamar Cardinals host the Nicholls State Colonels at the Montagne Center. The matchup features teams with nearly identical records. Lamar (12-15, 5-9 Southland) enters with a slight edge over Nicholls State (11-16, 6-8) in overall wins, but the Colonels hold a one-game advantage in conference play. Both squads are looking to snap losing streaks, with the Cardinals having dropped four straight and the Colonels coming off a narrow 72-68 road loss at Houston Christian on Feb. 16. Nicholls State will lean on guard Trae English, who has been a consistent offensive catalyst. He is coming off a 17-point, six-assist performance in the loss to Houston Christian and averaged 16.3 points over a recent three-game stretch. His ability to score and facilitate will be central to the Colonels’ attack. For Lamar, guard Cody Pennebaker is a key figure. He scored 12 points in the Cardinals’ most recent outing, a 70-65 loss at Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Pennebaker has shown flashes of productivity, including a 12-point game in a win over Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 2. The Cardinals won the first meeting this season, 90-80, at Nicholls State on Jan. 17. Lamar will aim to secure the regular-season sweep on its home floor, where it is 8-5 this season. Nicholls State, just 3-11 on the road, will look to reverse that result and improve its seeding for the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament. With the conference tournament approaching, Monday’s game carries significant weight for positioning. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.