Box Score

THIBODAUX – Southeastern Louisiana sophomore guard Kelli Jenkins scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in a game-closing 18-6 run, as the Lady Lions rallied from a double-digit deficit to pick up a 72-68 Southland Conference victory over Nicholls in women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gymnasium.

Southeastern reached double-digit wins for the seventh consecutive season, improving to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in Southland Conference play. Nicholls fell to 4-19 overall and 1-10 in Southland Conference action.

“We showed some toughness down the stretch,” Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones commented. “We could've folded when they built the lead back up, but we made up our minds that we were going to do the things necessary to win this game.”

Jenkins was one of three Lady Lions in double figures and came up with four key offensive rebounds down the stretch. With the game tied at 68, Jenkins rebounded her own miss and scored, drawing a foul in the process and completing a three-point play to give Southeastern the lead for good with 49 seconds remaining.

“Kelli's not known for her rebounding, but she grabbed some big boards down the stretch,” Jones said of the Plaquemine native. “For us to be successful, we need people to step up and help us in areas that they aren't used to playing a big part in. Kelli deserves a lot of credit for her efforts today.”

Jenkins was joined in double figures by senior post Zevy Ivory, who narrowly missed her second straight double-double, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Kim Edmonson shot her way out of a recent shooting slump, hitting four threes and scoring 17 points. Behind the efforts of Ivory and Jenkins – who finished with a career-high tying seven rebounds – Southeastern held a 35-29 rebounding advantage.

Defensively, Southeastern forced Nicholls into 19 turnovers and collected 13 steals. Freshman guard Erica Burgess tied a career-high with four steals, while Ivory nabbed three and junior forward Rashima Jenkins and Kelli Jenkins were credited with two apiece.

Junior guard Ricshanda Bickham led four Colonels in double figures with 16 points to go with game-high totals of seven assists, five steals and nine turnovers. Sophomore wing Jasmine Hoskins and junior forward Cassie Hearon added 14 points each, while freshman forward Alisha Allen netted 12. Hearon also grabbed a game-high seven rebounds for the Colonels.

The lead changed hands nine times in the first nine minutes of the first half with Southeastern taking its final lead of the opening half on an Ivory layup with 10:40 left. Nicholls outscored Southeastern, 20-10, over the final portion of the second half and rode a 54.2 first-half field goal percentage to a 36-27 halftime lead.

Nicholls stretched the lead to 10 on a layup by Hoskins with 13:32 left. Southeastern answered with an 11-1 run over the next four minutes. Edmonson capped the rally with a four-point play that cut the lead to 52-49 with 9:33 left.

Nicholls pulled away again, however, as a pair of threes by Bickham put Nicholls up, 62-54, with 5:51 on the clock. Kelli Jenkins took over from that point, putting in six points in a 10-2 run. Her free throws with 3:22 left knotted the score at 64-64 with 3:22 left.

Hoskins gave Nicholls the lead back on the ensuing possession with a layup at the three-minute mark. However, immediately following that basket, Nicholls head coach DoBee Plaisance was whistled for a technical foul. Edmonson knocked down both free throws to tie the score again at 66.

The two teams traded empty possessions for the next minute. With just under two minutes left, Edmonson missed a three, but Kelli Jenkins grabbed the offensive board and gave Southeastern the lead with her put back, 68-66, with 1:47 left.

Nicholls answered once again on their next possession, as sophomore forward Chelsea McNamee knocked down a shot to knot the score at 68 with 1:23 left. With the shot clock running down, Kelli Jenkins then missed a jumper, got her own rebound and scored to give Southeastern the lead with a three-point play.

Nicholls had one last chance, but Allen's jumper was off the mark and Kelli Jenkins pulled down the defensive rebound. Southeastern once again ran the shot clock down and Kelli Jenkins missed a jumper, but pulled down an offensive board and was fouled.

The Plaquemine product knocked down one of two from the line to make it a two-possession game with five seconds left. Nicholls junior forward Raneisha Hunter turned the ball over and Kelli Jenkins was able to run the clock out.

Southeastern will return to action on Wednesday, hosting UT Arlington at 7 p.m. in the University Center. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on the Internet only at www.LionSports.net and will also air on a tape delayed basis on the Southeastern Channel (Charter Channel 18). Burgess will be Wedneday's Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Memphis native courtesy of the Southeastern PRIDE (Positive Role-models Involved in the Development of Excellence).