HAMMOND -- In the final non-conference tuneup for Southeastern, Michael Gardener scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Lions to a 78-49 victory over NAIA member Arkansas-Baptist Tuesday night in the University Center.

Gardener was one of three Lions in double figures, as Southeastern (8-3) shot a blistering 57.7 (30-for-52) from the floor and forced a season-high 26 turnovers. Terry West added 12 points for Southeastern while Nate Lofton added 10 as all 13 players who dressed saw action with 10 breaking into the scoring column.

"I thought the key to the game would be our energy level and after a while, the guys picked it up," Southeastern head coach Billy Kennedy said. "These games at this point of the season are hard, especially coming off a break, but I liked our effort."

After holding wire-to-wire leads in its last two games, Southeastern saw itself on the short end for the first time when Alvin Morris' bucket gave ABC (7-14) its only lead of the game at 12-10 with 13:58 remaining in the first half. But Neill Berry's 3-pointer from the left corner started an 11-2 run and the Lions were not threatened again as they held the Buffaloes to one point over the final 4:04 and built a 13-point cushion at halftime.

Gardener, who made his first six shots and finished 9-for-11 from the floor, scored 14 points in the first half as Southeastern shot 63 percent from the floor. The senior from Detroit, whose previous high was 16 against Southern on Dec. 15, added three assists and two steals for the Lions.

Brannon Hargraves opened the second half with a short jumper for ABC that closed the gap to 39-28, but that would be as close as the Buffaloes would get for the remainder of the game as the Lions pushed the lead to 62-38 on Jonathan Walker's three-point play at the 12:30 mark.

The Lions continued their dominance with their reserves, led by freshman Justin Edwards who scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in 13 minutes of play. The Lions, who held ABC without a point for the final 3:45, closed out the scoring when Marcus Verner's basket with 1:18 left gave Southeastern its largest lead of the night.

The win, Southeastern's third in a row and 10th win at home in the last 12 games, gave the Lions their best non-conference start since 1992-93 when the Lions won eight non-league games. Southeastern's 8-3 start also equaled its best 11-game start since posting the same record in 1982-83.

Southeastern opens Southland Conference play on Saturday, traveling to Monroe to face Louisiana-Monroe at 7:45 p.m.

ARKANSAS BAPTIST (7-14)
Morris 2-6 0-0 4, White 0-1 0-0 0, Richmond 3-4 4-6 11, Thomas 4-7 0-0 12, Bailey 2-5 1-2 5, Hart 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 0-4 0-0 0, Williams 1-5 0-0 2, Markham 1-2 0-0 2, Nathaniel 1-3 0-0 3, Hargraves 5-10 0-0 10, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Watts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-48 5-8 49.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (8-3)
West 4-5 4-6 12, Lofton 5-8 0-0 10, Gardener 9-11 2-3 20, Abdur-Rahim 4-7 1-1 9, Berry 2-3 0-0 6, Verner 2-3 0-0 4, Bryant 0-0 0-0 0, Edwards 1-3 4-5 6, Cyprian 0-0 2-2 2, Patton 0-2 0-0 0, Frey 0-2 0-0 0, Gadsden 0-2 2-2 2, Walker 3-6 1-1 7. Totals 30-52 16-20 78.

Halftime Score -- Southeastern 39, ABC 26. 3-point field goals -- ABC 6-17 (Thomas 4-7, Nathaniel 1-2, Richmond 1-1, Davis 0-3, Hargraves 0-2, Hart 0-1, Markham 0-1) Southeastern 2-8 (Berry 2-3, Patton 0-2, Gardener 0-1, Frey 0-1, Gadsden 0-1). Fouled Out -- White. Rebounds -- ABC 23 (White 5) Southeastern 30 (Lofton 7). Assists -- ABC 7 (Morris 4) Southeastern 14 (Abdur-Rahim 4). Technical Fouls -- None. Total Fouls -- ABC 20, Southeastern 11.