Box Score

HAMMOND – Playing in their final game in the University Center, Southeastern Louisiana seniors Patrick Sullivan and Robert Tibbs were determined to play key roles against Southland Conference rival Northwestern State.

Sullivan scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked five shots as the Lions overcame a nine-point halftime deficit and defeated the Demons, 86-77, in the regular-season finale both teams on Saturday. Tibbs, Southeastern's other senior, added 11 points in a starting role for the Lions, who placed five players in double figures.

With the win, Southeastern (18-11, 10-6 SLC) secured at least the No. 4 spot in next week's State Farm Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas. The Lions could earn the No. 3 seed if UT Arlington defeats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a late game on Saturday.

Southeastern, which finished 14-1 at home, erased a 38-29 halftime deficit as it shot 61 percent (17-for-28) and outscored Northwestern State (10-19, 5-11 SLC), 57-39, in the second half. Sullivan, who passed former Lion Dick Sharp for eighth place in school history in career scoring, went 5-for-6 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Sullivan got solid support from Trent Hutchin, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:33 remaining that put the Lions ahead, 70-68. Hutchin, who finished 7-for-15 from the floor, sank five 3-pointers for the Lions, who finished 27-for-55 (49.1 percent) from the floor and 26-for-33 (78.8 percent) from the free throw line.

Northwestern State, which needed a win and a victory by Lamar over Nicholls State to reach the postseason, went on an 11-2 run in the first half to take a 36-27 lead after a layup by Devon Baker with 54 seconds remaining. The Demons led, 40-31, on William Mosley's jumper with 19:09 left before Southeastern responded with a 12-2 run, capped by a Hutchin 3-pointer, to take a 43-42 lead.

Will Pratt, who led Northwestern State with 21 points, drilled a 3-pointer with 10:05 left that gave the Demons a 55-53 lead. James Hulbin added two free throws and Pratt sank a pair of free throws that pushed the Demon lead to 59-53 with 9:07 left.

After the Lions rallied to take a 65-61 lead on two free throws by Gary Dixon, the Demons answered with a 3-pointer by Damon Jones and a layup by Pratt to reclaim the lead before both teams traded buckets on ensuing possessions.

Hutchin's go-ahead 3-pointer fueled an 11-2 spurt by the Lions as Sullivan capped the run with a jumper in the lane for a 78-70 lead with 2:26 left.

Deshawn Patterson added 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Southeastern while Dixon added 11 points.

Jones, playing in his final game in a Demon uniform, scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Hulbin added nine points. Dominic Knight and Baker added eight points each for Northwestern State, which finished 27-for-67 (40.3 percent) from the floor and was outrebounded, 43-34.

NORTHWESTERN STATE (10-19, 5-11 SLC)
Pratt 7-14 6-9 21; Jones 6-11 0-0 15; Hulbin 3-5 2-2 9; Baker 2-9 3-6 8; Knight 2-6 4-4 8; Mosley 3-7 0-1 6; Davis 2-7 0-2 5; M. McConathy 1-3 0-0 3; Clark 1-1 0-0 2; Dixon 0-0 0-0 0; Evans 0-0 0-0 0; L. McConathy 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-67 15-24 77.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (18-11, 10-6 SLC)
Sullivan 7-13 10-10 24; Hutchin 7-15 2-2 21; Patterson 3-7 6-8 12; Tibbs 4-6 3-4 11; Dixon 3-9 4-6 11; Marks 2-3 0-0 4; Burches 1-2 0-1 2; Ndoumba 0-0 1-2 1; Fortenberry 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 26-33 86.

Halftime – NWLA 38, SLU 29. 3-point goals – NWLA 8-22 (Jones 3-5; Hulbin 1-1; Pratt 1-3; Baker 1-3; M. McConathy 1-2; Davis 1-4; L. McConathy 0-2; Knight 0-2), SLU 6-20 (Hutchin 5-12; Dixon 1-5; Tibbs 0-1; Burches 0-1; Patterson 0-1). Fouled out - Knight, Pratt. Rebounds – NWLA 34 (Mosley 6), SLU 43 (Sullivan 17). Assists – NWLA 13 (Three with 3), SLU 13 (Patterson 7). Total fouls – NWLA 27, SLU 23. Technical fouls - None. A – 736.