BEAUMONT – Amber Leggett poured in 20 points and had eight rebounds in helping the Sam Houston State women's basketball team maintain sole possession of second place in the Southland Conference with a 75-68 win over Lamar on Wednesday night at the Montagne Center.
 
The Kats (18-7, 13-3 SLC) held a 14-point lead over the Cardinals (9-16, 5-11 SLC) entering the final period after exploding for 26 points in the third quarter, but had to withstand a furious LU rally in the fourth quarter to escape with the win.
 
Behind a game-high 24 points from Amber Vidal, Lamar clawed back to within a point of the Kats at 69-68 with under a minute to play, but the Kats responded with a bucket from Jaylonn Walker on the next possession and forced a pair of 3-point misses from Vidal on the Cardinals' next two possessions before icing the game at the foul line.
 
The win gave the Kats their 13^th win of league play, tying a program record that has only happened two other times – 2013 and 1996 – since joining the Southland Conference. It is also the first time they have swept the season series from the Cardinals since the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Leggett filled up the stat sheet, adding a pair of blocks and three steals to her line, while Walker was one of four Kats in double figures with 15 points of her own. La'Sha Haynes set a new high as a Bearkat with a dozen points and three steals, and Kiera McKinney reached double figures for the fourth time this year with 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
Sam Houston hit just 40 percent from the floor and was 4-for-14 from 3-point range, but was efficient from the foul line where they canned 23 of their 28 tries, including all four in the game's final minute.
 
Lamar, meanwhile, put four players of their own in double figures, led by Vidal's game-high effort.
 
The Kats will now return home to host Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. The game is set to tip off at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
The game will also serve as Senior Day for the six-member Bearkat senior class of La'Sha Haynes, Jaylonn Walker, Jenniffer Oramas, Kiera McKinney, Rachel Harrell and Tia Harston.