BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — The Lamar Lady Cardinals used a dominant third-quarter surge to pull away from the New Orleans Privateers and secure an 84-54 victory in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at the Montagne Center.

A crowd of 934 watched Lamar improve to 17-9 overall, while New Orleans fell to 3-24.

The game was competitive through the first half, with Lamar holding a 35-29 lead at intermission. The Lady Cardinals had established control on the glass and forced numerous New Orleans turnovers but had not yet broken the game open. That changed decisively in the third quarter.

Lamar outscored New Orleans 27-13 in the period, turning a six-point halftime advantage into a 20-point lead. The Lady Cardinals’ defense catalyzed the run, generating steals and converting them into easy baskets. Lamar scored 30 points off 20 New Orleans turnovers for the game, with a significant portion coming during the third-quarter blitz.

The offensive efficiency gap was stark. Lamar scored 84 points on just 67 possessions, an offensive rating of 125.8. New Orleans managed 54 points on 71 possessions, a rating of 75.8. The Lady Cardinals shot 49.2% from the field (32 of 65) and 40.7% from 3-point range (11 of 27). The Privateers shot 39.6% overall (21 of 53) and were just 5 of 21 from beyond the arc.

Lamar’s commanding 18-6 advantage in offensive rebounds led to numerous second-chance opportunities and contributed to a 38-30 edge in points in the paint. The Lady Cardinals also shared the ball effectively, tallying 13 assists to go with 13 steals.

New Orleans was led by Lauren Banks, who scored 11 points. Mikayla Johnson added nine points and five rebounds, while Hailee Brennen blocked five shots.

The Lady Cardinals’ balanced attack featured several key performances. Solenne Olenga posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Alexis Parker also recorded a double-double, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds, many on the offensive end. Jacei Denley filled the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just 21 minutes. Shaila Forman directed the offense with 11 points and six assists, and R’Mani Taylor chipped in 10 points and four assists.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Lamar, which defeated New Orleans 72-56 on Jan. 15. Entering the game, statistical models gave Lamar a 97.8% probability to win.

Lamar next travels to face Houston Christian on Thursday. New Orleans returns home to host Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday.