Box Score

KATY, Texas – A hot-shooting Lamar team connected on 10 three-point field goals and the top-seeded Lady Cardinals eliminated No. 8 seed Southeastern Louisiana with an 88-64 victory in the first round of the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Tuesday night in the Merrell Center.

The Lady Lions finished the season with a 12-18 overall record. Lamar, the Southland Conference regular season co-champion, improved to 24-7 and advance to the semifinal round. The Lady Cardinals will face the winner of the UT Arlington-UTSA game on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Playing in her final regular season game, Southeastern senior guard Kim Edmonson netted four three-pointers to lead the Lady Lions with 12 points. Freshman guard Erica Burgess joined Edmonson in double figures with 10 points off the bench. Junior forward Rashima Jenkins and junior guard Chelsea Hix added nine points each, while senior forward Zevy Ivory added eight points.

Ivory, a third team All-Southland Conference choice, and Rashima Jenkins both narrowly missed double-doubles with nine rebounds each. Southeastern sophomore guard Kelli Jenkins finished with six assists, giving her 120 for the year – the most by a Lady Lion since the 1994-95 season.

Lamar senior forward and second team All-Southland pick Darika Hill led the Lady Cardinals with a double-double effort, scoring 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to go with a team-high five blocked shots. Hill was one of four Lamar players in double figures, along with sophomore guard Ang Green (12 points), junior guard and Southland Player and Newcomer of the Year Jenna Plumley (11 points) and senior guard Ashley Crawford (10 points).

Hill helped Lamar finish the game with a 41-38 rebounding advantage. Junior forward Trashanna Smith, an honorable mention All-Southland choice, matched Kelli Jenkins for game-high assists honors with six dimes for the Lady Cardinals.

Lamar used seven three-pointers in the opening half to take a 42-19 halftime lead. Southeastern fell into an 18-4 hole, but battled back to cut the lead to 21-15. The Lady Cardinals responded by closing out the half with a 21-4 run. Hill had nine points and nine rebounds in the opening half for Lamar, while Burgess netted six points to lead the Lady Lions in the first 20 minutes.

Southeastern scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to 42-24, but that was as close as the Lady Lions would get. The Cardinals led by as many as 27 in the second half, but only outscored the Lady Lions, 46-45, after the break.

Southeastern returns three starters for 2010-11 in Hix, Kelli Jenkins and Rashima Jenkins, as well as key reserves Burgess, junior guard Mary Fountain and junior center Rachel Mackie.