# 2023–24 Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team

    For information on all Lamar University sports, see Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals
The 2023–24 Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team represented Lamar University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Cardinals, led by fifth year head coach Aqua Franklin, played their home games at the Montagne Center in Beaumont, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They won the Southland Conference regular season championship with a 17–1 record. Lamar was defeated by Texas A&M–Corpus Christi in the SLC tournament championship game. They were invited to compete in the inaugural 2024 WBIT. Their season ended with a first round loss to Washington State.

## Media

Home games were broadcast on ESPN+. Nine games during the season were broadcast on 560 KLVI/iHeartRadio.

## Previous season

The Lady Cardinals finished the 2022–23 season with an overall record of 20–12 and 12–6 in conference play. Their season ended losing to Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Conference tournament championship game. Lamar entered the tournament as third seed.

## Offseason

Lamar announced four additions to the roster on May 1, 2023, three transfers and one recruit.

### Incoming transfers

Lamar Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Teni Kuyinu | 21 | G | 5'10" | Junior | Houston, Texas | Angelina College |
| Victoria Mason | 2 | G | 5'7" | Junior | Gilbert, Arizona | Hampton University |
| T'Aaliyah Miner | 0 | G/F | 5'11" | Junior | New Orleans, Louisiana | Moberly Area Community College |
Source:

### Recruits

Recruits :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Elise Jones | 23 | G | 5'10" | Freshman | Dallas, Texas | Midlothian High School |
Source:

## Preseason polls
### Southland Conference Poll

The Southland Conference released its preseason poll on October 10, 2023. Receiving 132 overall votes and 2 first place votes, the Lady Cardinals were picked to finish third in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Southeastern Louisiana | 159 (15) |
| 2 | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | 140 (3) |
| 3 | Lamar | 132 (2) |
| 4 | Incarnate Word | 97 |
| T5 | Houston Christian | 74 |
| T5 | McNeese | 74 |
| 7 | Northwestern State | 65https://duckduckgo.com/ |
| 8 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 58 |
| 9 | New Orleans | 56 |
| 10 | Nicholls | 39 |

### Preseason All Conference

Junior Akasha Davis, Forward/Center, was selected to the Preseason All Conference first team. Senior Sabria Dean, Guard, was selected to second team.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 2, 2023* 6:00 pm | | North American | W 102–37 | | – | – | – | Naleches Arena Beaumont, Texas |
| Non-Conference season |||||||||
| Nov 8, 2023* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas College | W 108–34 | 1–0 | 24 – A. Davis | 9 – A. Davis | 7 – J. Denley | Neches Arena (728) Beaumont, Texas |
| Nov 10, 2023* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UT Arlington | W 74–57 | 2–0 | 30 – S. Dean | 5 – S. Dean | 4 – NJ Weems | College Park Center (1,490) Arlington, Texas |
| Nov 13, 2023* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas Tech | L 44–61 | 2–1 | 9 – R. Taylor | 5 – S. Dean | 2 – S. Dean | United Supermarkets Arena (3,678al) Lubbock, Texas |
| Nov 16, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | LSU–Alexandria | W 72–48 | 3–13 | 15 – A. Davis | 6 – A. Davis | 4 – B. Mitchell | Neches Arena (543) Beaumont, Texas |
| Nov 22, 2023* 12:00 pm | | vs. UTEP St. Pete Showcase | W 56–44 | 4–1 | 14 – S. Dean | 10 – A. Davis | 3 – J. Denley | McArthur Center (212) St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Nov 23, 2023* 2:30 pm | | vs. Nebraska St. Pete Showcase | L 61–75 | 4–2 | 19 – S. Dean | 8 – A. Davis | 5 – R. Taylor | McArthur Center (283) St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Dec 6, 2023* 11:00 am, SECN+ | | at Texas A&M | L 51–83 | 4–3 | 16 – S. Dean | 5 – B. Mitchell | 4 – J. Denley | Reed Arena (7,529) College Station, Texas |
| Dec 13, 2023* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Louisiana | W 63–60 | 5–3 | 22 – A. Davis | 10 – A. Davis | 4 – B. Mitchell | Cajundome (648) Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Dec 17, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at TCU | L 51–68 | 5–4 | 15 – A. Davis | 14 – A. Davis | 5 – R. Taylor | Schollmaier Arena (1,947) Fort Worth, Texas |
| Dec 30, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | LMU | W 61–58 | 6–4 | 15 – J. Denley | 6 – S. Dean | 4 – J. Denley | Neches Arena (539) Beaumont, Texas |
| Southland regular season |||||||||
| Jan 4, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Incarnate Word | W 70–53 | 7–4 (1–0) | 29 – S. Dean | 16 – A. Davis | 6 – B. Mitchell | Neches Arena (603) Beaumont, Texas |
| Jan 6, 2024 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Northwestern State | W 73–56 | 8–4 (2–0) | 29 – S. Dean | 9 – A. Davis | 6 – R. Taylor | Neches Arena (1,367) Beaumont, Texas |
| Jan 11, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at McNeese Battle of the Border | W 82–50 | 9–4 (3–0) | 20 – A. Davis | 14 – A. Davis | 4 – S. Dean | The Legacy Center (1,824) Lake Charles, Louisiana |
| Jan 13, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Nicholls | W 52–49 | 10–4 (4–0) | 12 – S. Dean | 10 – A. Davis | 4 – B. Mitchell | Stopher Gymnasium (455) Thibodaux, Louisiana |
| Jan 18, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas A&M –Commerce | L 70–73 | 10–5 (4–1) | 21 – A. Davis | 18 – A. Davis | 8 – R. Taylor | Neches Arena (824) Beaumont, Texas |
| Jan 20, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Houston Christian | W 65–54 | 11–5 (5–1) | 29 – A. Davis | 15 – A. Davis | 2 – Tied (2) | Sharp Gymnasium (383) Houston, Texas |
| Jan 25, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | New Orleans | W 65–62 | 12–5 (6–1) | 20 – S. Dean | 16 – A. Davis | 3 – J. Denley | Neches Arena (626 ) Beaumont, Texas |
| Jan 27, 2024 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Southeastern Louisiana | W 59–45 | 13–5 (7–1) | 19 – A. Davis | 17 – A. Davis | 5 – S. Dean | Neches Arena (985) Beaumont, Texas |
| Feb 3, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 63–57 | 14–5 (8–1) | 14 – B. Mitchell | 11 – A. Davis | 5 – R. Taylor | American Bank Center (1,927) Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Feb 8, 2024 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Incarnate Word | W 72–68 | 15–5 (9–1) | 27 – N. Weems | 7 – S. Dean | 3 – M. McQueen | McDermott Center (192 ) San Antonio, Texas |
| Feb 10, 2024 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Nicholls | W 70–44 | 16–5 (10–1) | 17 – A. Davis | 16 – A. Davis | 4 – S. Dean | Neches Arena (1,597) Beaumont, Texas |
| Feb 15, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Southeastern Louisiana | W 67–60 | 17–5 (11–1) | 16 – S. Dean | 9 – A. Davis | 6 – S. Dean | Pride Roofing University Center (953) Hammond, Louisiana |
| Feb 17, 2024 2:00 pm , ESPN+ | | at New Orleans | W 63–60 | 18–5 (12–1) | 19 – A. Davis | 13 – A. Davis | 6 – R. Taylor | Lakefront Arena (588) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Feb 22, 2024 7:00 pm , ESPN+ | | McNeese Battle of the Border | W 73–43 | 19–5 (13–1) | 14 – S. Dean | 10 – A. Davis | 6 – S. Dean | Neches Arena (1,896) Beaumont, Texas |
| Feb 24, 2024 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 68–63 | 20–5 (14–1) | 18 – A. Davis | 16 – A. Davis | 5 – J. Denley | Neches Arena (1,862) Beaumont, Texas |
| Feb 29, 2024 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Texas A&M–Commerce | W 74–58 | 21–5 (15–1) | 22 – A. Davis | 16 – A. Davis | 3 – N. Weems | The Field House (472) Commerce, Texas |
| Mar 2, 2024 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northwestern State | W 80–64 | 22–5 (16–1) | 24 – A. Davis | 11 – A. Davis | 2 – S. Dean | Prather Coliseum (840) Natchitoches, Louisiana |
| Mar 7, 2024 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Houston Christian | W 69–47 | 23–5 (17–1) | 16 – A. Davis | 10 – A. Davis | 4 – S. Dean | Neches Arena (1,000) Beaumont, Texas |
| 2024 Jersey Mike's Subs Southland Conference Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2024 11:00 am, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (5) Texas A&M–Commerce Semifinals | W 83–58 | 24–5 | 23 – A. Davis | 13 – S. Dean | 3 – R. Taylor | The Legacy Center Lake Charles, LA |
| Mar 14, 2024 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | (1) | vs. (2) Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Championship | L 61–68 | 24–6 | 19 – S. Dean | 11 – A. Davis | 6 – B. Mitchell | The Legacy Center (700) Lake Charles, LA |
| 2024 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 21, 2024 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | (8) | at (1) Washington State First round | L 46–66 | 24–7 | 12 – J. Denley | 10 – A. Davis | 2 – J. Denley | Beasley Coliseum (490) Pullman, WA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Conference awards and honors
### Weekly awards

Weekly honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date Awarded |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Sabria Dean | G | November 13, 2023 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Sabria Dean | G | November 27, 2023 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Akasha Davis | F/C | December 18, 2023 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Sabria Dean | G | January 8, 2024 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Akasha Davis | F/C | January 22, 2024 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Akasha Davis | F/C | January 29, 2024 |
| SLC Women's Basketball Player of the Week | Akasha Davis | F/C | March 4, 2024 |