BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — Lamar used a balanced scoring attack to defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 77-49 in a nonconference women’s basketball game Monday night at Montagne Center. The Lady Cardinals led wire-to-wire, taking a 19-14 lead after the first quarter and steadily pulling away. Lamar outscored the Islanders 45-19 in the second half. T’Aaliyah Miner led Lamar with 17 points. Solenne Olenga added 12 points and Shaila Forman scored 11. For Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Marissa Shelton and Samora Watson each scored 13 points. Lamar improved to 4-4 overall. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell to 1-7. An announced crowd of 678 attended the game.

BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — The Lamar Lady Cardinals used a dominant second half to pull away from the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders for a 77-49 victory in a nonconference women’s basketball game Monday night at the Montagne Center. Lamar, which improved to 4-4 overall, outscored the Islanders 45-19 after halftime, turning a competitive contest into a lopsided affair. The Islanders fell to 1-7 with the loss. The game’s decisive stretch began late in the third quarter and extended through the fourth. Leading 44-41 with under three minutes remaining in the third, Lamar closed the period on an 8-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from T’Aaliyah Miner, to take a 52-43 advantage into the final frame. The Lady Cardinals then opened the fourth quarter with a 14-2 surge, effectively putting the game out of reach. Solenne Olenga scored six points during that run, including a layup off an assist from Kamryn Wilson that gave Lamar a 66-45 lead with 6:38 to play. Miner, a guard from New Orleans, led all scorers with 17 points in just 17 minutes off the bench. Olenga, a forward from Lubumbashi, Congo, added 12 points and a game-high three steals. Guard Shaila Forman of Baton Rouge contributed 11 points, with nine coming in the second half. For Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Marissa Shelton of South Bend, Indiana, and Samora Watson of Eunice, Louisiana, each scored 13 points. Watson added two assists in a team-high 31 minutes. Chelsea Wooten of McKinney dished out three assists. The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring six lead changes. The Islanders shot well early, connecting on three of their first five 3-point attempts to build a 14-11 lead midway through the opening quarter. Lamar responded with a 7-0 run, fueled by five points from Kamryn Wilson, to take an 18-14 lead. The Lady Cardinals led 19-14 after one quarter and maintained a narrow 32-30 advantage at halftime. Lamar’s defense stiffened considerably in the second half, forcing 10 Islanders turnovers and holding them to 8-of-28 shooting from the field. The Lady Cardinals also controlled the glass, finishing with a 15-7 edge in offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points. Jacei Denley, a hometown product from Beaumont, orchestrated the Lamar offense with a game-high seven assists to go with six points. Chisom Oguego of Lagos, Nigeria, provided a spark off the bench with eight points, four rebounds and three steals, including two in the final minute that led to transition baskets. The Lady Cardinals shot 44% from the field for the game, while holding Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 32% shooting. Lamar also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 18 of 26 attempts compared to the Islanders’ 5 of 9. The game drew an announced crowd of 678. Lamar, which entered the game as a heavy favorite according to advanced metrics, will look to build on the win when it hosts Prairie View on Wednesday. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, mired in a six-game losing streak since its season-opening victory, continues a difficult road stretch at Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday.

BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — Two Southland Conference women’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Monday when the Lamar Lady Cardinals host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at the Montagne Center. Lamar (3-4) enters on a winning note after defeating Texas-Rio Grande Valley 67-59 at home on Dec. 2. The Lady Cardinals have found success at the Montagne Center, going 3-1 there this season. Guard Jacei Denley has been a consistent offensive catalyst, averaging 12.8 points per game. She scored 15 points with three assists in the win over UTRGV and has reached double figures in three of her last four contests. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-6) looks to snap a six-game skid following a 44-62 road loss at UTEP on Dec. 3. The Islanders’ lone victory came in their season opener against Biblical Studies. Their recent struggles have been marked by offensive challenges, failing to reach 50 points in three of their last four games. The Islanders will lean on guard Samora Watson, who has been a bright spot. She scored a season-high 17 points in 32 minutes against UTEP and is averaging 11.6 points per game over her last five outings. Marissa Shelton, who added 12 points against the Miners, provides secondary scoring. For Lamar, balance has been key. Alongside Denley, Solenne Olenga (13 points vs. UTRGV) and Kamryn Wilson (13 points vs. UTRGV) have provided timely production. The Lady Cardinals’ defense has been stout at home, holding opponents to an average of 52.8 points in their four games in Beaumont. This contest opens a critical stretch for both programs as they navigate the non-conference slate before Southland play intensifies in January. Lamar will aim to protect its home court and climb above .500, while the Islanders are desperate for a road victory to reverse their current trajectory. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CST tipoff on Monday, Dec. 15.