Johnson leads McNeese against Lamar after 20-point game

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McNeese Cowboys (17-4, 10-2 Southland) at Lamar Cardinals (11-10, 6-6 Southland)

Beaumont, Texas; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: McNeese visits Lamar after Larry Johnson scored 20 points in McNeese's 76-66 win over the SE Louisiana Lions.

The Cardinals are 6-4 on their home court. Lamar is fifth in the Southland with 22.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Braden East averaging 5.8.

The Cowboys are 10-2 in Southland play. McNeese is 14-2 in games decided by 10 points or more.

Lamar's average of 7.4 made 3-pointers per game is 1.4 fewer made shots on average than the 8.8 per game McNeese allows. McNeese has shot at a 48.0% clip from the field this season, 4.8 percentage points higher than the 43.2% shooting opponents of Lamar have averaged.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Rob Lee Jr. averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Cardinals, scoring 16.0 points while shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc. Andrew Holifield is averaging 14 points and two blocks over the last 10 games.

Johnson is averaging 17.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Cowboys. Tyshawn Archie is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 6-4, averaging 72.3 points, 33.3 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.

Cowboys: 8-2, averaging 76.7 points, 32.8 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 9.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.4 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.