Lamar (10-17, 9-10) vs. No. 2 seed Abilene Christian (21-4, 13-2)
Southland Conference Tourney Semifinals, Leonard E. Merrell Center, Katy, Texas; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Lamar is ready to face Abilene Christian with the victor securing its place in the Southland championship game. In the regular season, Abilene Christian won both of the head-to-head matchups. The teams last played on Feb. 6, when the Wildcats created 19 Lamar turnovers and turned the ball over just nine times en route to a 77-62 victory.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Cardinals are led by Davion Buster and Kasen Harrison. Buster is averaging 14 points while Harrison is putting up 11.9 points per game. The Wildcats have been led by Kolton Kohl and Joe Pleasant. Kohl has averaged 12.2 points and 4.7 rebounds while Pleasant has put up 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.DEEP-THREAT DAVION: Buster has connected on 38.3 percent of the 180 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 11 for 23 over the last three games. He’s also shooting 95.5 percent from the free throw line this season.
LONG-RANGE THREAT: Lamar’s Kopp has attempted 141 3-pointers and connected on 25.5 percent of them, and is 11 for 28 over his last five games.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Wildcats have recently gotten buckets via assists more often than the Cardinals. Abilene Christian has an assist on 58 of 80 field goals (72.5 percent) across its past three games while Lamar has assists on 33 of 75 field goals (44 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Abilene Christian defense has allowed only 60.7 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Wildcats eighth among Division I teams. The Lamar offense has averaged 65.6 points through 27 games (ranked 283rd, nationally).
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