BEAUMONT (Interstat) — On Monday, Lamar opened its women’s NCAA Division I basketball season with a commanding 104-35 victory over non-divisional opponent La. Christian at the Montagne Center. The Lady Cardinals improved to 1-0 before an announced attendance of 808. The home team controlled the game from the opening minutes, turning early defensive stops and transition chances into a decisive first-quarter run that set the tone for the night. La. Christian, the visiting team, could not match Lamar’s early pace and never recovered after falling behind by a large margin in the first period.

Lamar’s first-quarter surge was the most important stretch of the game. Solenne Olenga made back-to-back layups in the first minute, Kamryn Wilson added a layup, and Jacei Denley hit a 3-pointer as the Lady Cardinals opened a quick lead. La. Christian got on the board with Gabriella Gamboa’s layup with 6:50 remaining in the quarter, but Lamar answered with a 20-0 run to close the period. Olenga made a free throw, Jada Graves hit a 3-pointer, Brooklyn Alexander made a jump shot, Wilson connected from beyond the arc, and Kennedi Alexander scored off a turnover. Brooklyn Alexander added two free throws, Kennedi Alexander scored in transition, Olenga made another free throw, Shaila Forman made a layup, and Kennedi Alexander closed the quarter with two free throws. By the end of the first quarter, Lamar had built a 29-2 lead, and the run included production from several players.

The Lady Cardinals did not let up in the second quarter. Olenga opened the scoring with a jump shot, Larissa Hubbard followed with a layup and a free throw, and Denley made a layup as Lamar continued to stretch the margin. La. Christian picked up free throws from M’Kiyiah Olivier and later got a 3-pointer from Kimora Celestine, but Lamar answered every push. Kennedi Alexander made two free throws, Jordan Pete hit a 3-pointer, Graves made a layup, and Wilson made a free throw. Brooklyn Alexander added a layup, Kyndall Roberts converted a layup and a free throw, and Hubbard made a late layup. Roberts’ final layup of the half sent Lamar into the break with a 55-12 advantage. The Lady Cardinals scored 26 points in the second quarter while holding La. Christian to 10.

La. Christian found some rhythm in the third quarter, largely through Olivier and Gamboa. Olivier made a jump shot, Maddison Carey hit a 3-pointer, and Olivier later made a layup and two 3-pointers to help the visiting side generate offense. Carlea Owens added free throws and a layup, and Gamboa made a layup. Lamar, however, had answers throughout the quarter. Graves made two free throws, Olenga made a layup, Denley made a free throw and a 3-pointer, Kennedi Alexander hit a 3-pointer and a layup, and Forman made a free throw. Roberts and Pete also contributed from the free-throw line and beyond the arc as the Lady Cardinals carried a 79-32 lead into the fourth quarter.

Lamar closed the game with a dominant fourth quarter. Forman made a 3-pointer, Kennedi Alexander hit another 3-pointer, and after Gamboa made a 3-pointer for La. Christian, the Lady Cardinals finished with a 19-0 run. Graves made a jump shot, Forman hit two more 3-pointers, Olenga made a layup, Kennedi Alexander scored off a turnover, Roberts made a layup, Pete made two layups, and Kennedi Alexander capped the scoring with a final layup. The late surge finalized the 104-35 margin and kept Lamar in control through the final horn. Lamar scored 29 points in the fourth quarter and held La. Christian to three over the final 10 minutes.

Kennedi Alexander led Lamar with 24 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes. Olenga added 16 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. Forman finished with nine points, four rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes. Brooklyn Alexander contributed six points, five rebounds, two assists and one block in 21 minutes. Denley scored 11 points with two rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes. Graves had nine points, one rebound and seven assists in 24 minutes. Roberts added eight points, five rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. Wilson finished with six points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes. Hubbard had five points, two rebounds and one block in 13 minutes, and Pete scored 10 points with one assist in 16 minutes. Four Lamar players reached double figures, with Kennedi Alexander setting the pace for the Lady Cardinals.

For the game, Lamar scored 104 points from 89 possessions and posted an offensive rating of 116.5. The Lady Cardinals recorded 13 offensive rebounds, 25 assists, three blocks and 14 turnovers. La. Christian, which was playing a non-divisional road game, was held to 35 points and could not sustain its third-quarter offensive stretch. Lamar’s pressure and transition scoring helped turn the opening quarter into the decisive portion of the contest. The Lady Cardinals also used a balanced assist total to keep the offense moving throughout the night.

Lamar’s schedule continues with road games against Texas-Arlington, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Rice. The Lady Cardinals will host Arlington Baptist, Texas State, Texas A&M-Commerce and two meetings with Prairie View, and they will face Illinois-Chicago at Houston. Lamar will look to carry the opening-night performance into the next stretch of its nonconference slate.