With a pair of losses on the road behind them, the Sam Houston State women’s basketball team is still searching for their first conference win as they return home to play the Lamar Cardinals on Saturday at 3 p.m.The Cardinals (8-6, 1-0 SLC) lead the East division of the Southland Conference after opening conference play with a 75-54 victory at Texas-San Antonio. Lamar plays host to Stephen F. Austin (5-9, 2-0 SLC) today at 7 p.m. before travling to Huntsville to take on the Bearkats.In their last showing, Sam Houston State suffered a hard-fought 81-80 loss to Nicholls State after taking an 87-60 defeat from Southeastern Louisiana in their conference opener on the road. Whitney Smith took top scoring honors in the Bearkats’ loss to Nicholls State with 22 points, followed by Brittany Brooks with 19 points and Lydia Gonzales with 12 points. Smith is averaging 13 points per game to lead Sam Houston State in scoring while shooting 67 percent from behind the arch. Lamar is led by Tamara Abalde, who is averaging 16.4 points per game.Sam Houston State has struggled on a ten-game losing streak after playing one of the most demanding schedules in the SLC. The Bearkats limped to an 0-5 start to the season before picking up their lone win of the year at Western Illinois on Nov. 24.
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