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2017 Tournament Central
KATY, Texas – Mindful of the damage Lamar junior forward Colton Weisbrod wreaked upon them in their Jan. 7 loss to the Cardinals, Southeastern Louisiana put much of its focus on shutting down Weisbrod in Wednesday’s opening round game of the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball tournament.
While the Lions were successful in containing Weisbrod, it was the rest of Lamar’s roster -- especially the bench -- that picked up the slack and allowed the fifth-seeded Cardinals to advance with a 77-65 win at Merrell Center as Lamar improved to 19-13 overall.
Lamar moves on to face two-time defending tournament champion and third-seed Stephen F. Austin in Thursday’s late game. The 7:30 p.m. tip can be seen on ESPN3, which will also have the previous contest between fifth-seed Sam Houston State and fourth-seed Houston Baptist beginning at 5 p.m.
“I think our bench really ignited our energy,” said Lamar coach Tic Price of his reserves, who outscored Southeastern Louisiana’s 44-22. “That’s been the story all year long. I have a lot of confidence in our bench.”
While sophomore guard Nick Garth paved the way with 17 points and junior guard Torey Noel contributed 11 off the bench as well, it was a pair of shots from senior swingman Marcus Owens that helped break the game open for Lamar.
Owens, who finished with 12 points, gave the Cardinals the lead for good when he connected on a three-pointer with 14:57, putting Lamar up 49-47. He then followed with another triple just 57 seconds later, setting the stage for consecutive baskets from Garth to give the Cards a 57-51 cushion at the 12:04 mark.
Lamar’s defense also rose up after allowing Southeastern Louisiana (16-16) to score on seven of the Lions’ first eight possessions after the intermission. The effort was also assisted when Lions guard and All-Conference third teamer Marlain Veal was hit with his fourth foul with 9:58 left, taking a huge gust of wind out of Southeastern Louisiana’s sails.
“I like to play defense aggressively,” said Veal, who finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, “but I couldn’t pressure the ball like I wanted. I just didn’t want to foul out the game and hurt my teammates.”
Lamar clamped down on Southeastern Louisiana, holding them without a field goal for nearly seven minutes before Veal snapped the skid with 1:59 remaining. The Cards forced 19 turnovers and hurt the Lions by holding them to just five of 21 from beyond the arc.
As for Weisbrod, his night was quiet as the Lions threw various swarms of defenders on him. The First Team All-Conference standout attempted just four field goals and ended his night with eight points to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
“Lamar made more plays than we did,” said Southeastern Louisiana coach Jay Ladner, whose team has received overtures from the College Invitational Tournament and the College Basketball Invitational to extend their season beyond Wednesday night. “Their guards are good. They play smart and don’t hurt themselves.”
The Lions, who came into the tournament with the program’s first winning season since 2010-11, would be making just their second trip to the postseason if they receive an invite on Sunday evening. It would mark the program’s first postseason bid since winning the Southland Conference tournament in 2005.