KATY, Texas – After closing out the regular season with four consecutive victories, the Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team opens play Thursday in the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament facing regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin at the Merrell Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game against top-seeded SFA (21-7) can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net. Live video streaming is available at www.Southland.org.

Two weeks ago with its postseason chances in jeopardy after a six-game losing streak, Southeastern (13-16) began its current streak as it closed out the season with wins at home over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Central Arkansas before posting road victories at McNeese State and Northwestern State.

The tournament's No. 8 seed, Southeastern looks to snap a three-game losing streak in the SLC Tournament with its last win coming in the 2005 championship game in a 49-42 victory at Northwestern State.

Paced by junior Patrick Sullivan, who leads the Lions in scoring (12.1) and rebounds (7.1), Southeastern has averaged 71.2 points per game in its last five games while holding opponents to 38 percent shooting.

Warrell Span, who has averaged a team-high 14.2 points per game in his last five games, follows Sullivan in scoring (10.9) and rebounds (6.7) with Damon Forest (9.6), Chris Cyprian (8.9) and Brandon Fortenberry (8.2) next.

Led by SLC Player of the Year Matt Kingsley, SFA closed out the regular-season with five consecutive wins that included a 45-38 victory over Southeastern Feb. 21 in Nacogdoches.

Kingsley, who finished fourth in the league in scoring (15.9), was the SLC's fifth-leading rebounder (7.5) and was fifth in field goal percentage (.551). Shreveport's Josh Alexander, the 2007-08 SLC Player of the Year, is next in scoring for the Lumberjacks at 14.1.

The winner advances to face the UT Arlington – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi winner in the semifinals on Friday at 8:30 p.m.