Game Notes

HAMMOND – Looking to build on a 10-point victory in its Southland Conference opener last week, the Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team returns to league play on Saturday when it visits Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the American Bank Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.

Southeastern (7-6, 1-0 Southland) opened league play with a convincing 64-54 win over Stephen F. Austin last Saturday in the University Center as Trent Hutchin scored a game-high 19 points to lead three players in double figures. Brandon Fortenberry and David Ndoumba added 13 points each for the Lions, who shot 48 percent in the contest and sank six 3-pointers against the NCAA Division I leaders in scoring defense and 3-point field goal defense.

The Lions look to go 2-0 in league play for the second consecutive year and face a TAMU-CC (5-11, 0-2 Southland) squad that has averaged 48.0 points in its first two league games.

Hutchin, a senior from Baton Rouge and former Woodlawn High product, is seventh in the Southland Conference in scoring (14.9) while leading the league at the free throw line converting on 29-of-32 attempts (90.6 percent). Hutchin, who is tied for eighth in school history with 111 3-pointers, is second overall in 3-pointers made per game (2.7) and is 10th in the league from behind the arc (39.8 percent).

Fortenberry, who needs five assists to pass former Lion Lee Carney for seventh in school history, is next in scoring for Southeastern at 10.8 points per game and is ninth in the Southland Conference with 3.4 assists.

Ndoumba, a former Christian Life Academy product, is third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points while leading Southeastern in rebounds (6.8) and blocks (2.1) and is fourth in the league in field goal percentage (59.6 precent).

Sixth-man Gary Dixon (10.4) is next in scoring for the Lions followed by Rodney Jones (7.7), Roosevelt Johnson (6.6), Deshawn Patterson (5.0) and Jason Marks (4.8).

TAMU-CC, coached by former Tulane mentor Perry Clark, has lost five of its last six games since edging Houston, 81-78, in overtime on Dec. 18. The Islanders opened Southland Conference play with a 72-49 loss at McNeese State last Saturday before falling to UTSA, 55-47, on Wednesday in their SLC home opener.

Chris Mast came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points for TAMU-CC, which has lost three straight overall.

Demond Watt, the league's top rebounder at 9.7 per game, leads the Islanders in scoring at 14.9 points per contest followed by Justin Reynolds at 10.1. Terence Jones (9.1), Horace Bond (5.1), Jawan Nelson (5.0), Mast (4.9) and Garland Judkins (4.7) are next in scoring for TAMU-CC, which averages 62.1 points per game.

Since joining the Southland Conference in 2006-07, the Islanders have won four of five meetings between the schools including a 68-57 victory in last season's matchup. TAMU-CC built a 40-18 lead at halftime before holding off Southeastern in the second half.

After facing TAMU-CC, Southeastern will return home to battle McNeese State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the annual “Jam the Jungle” contest. Tickets are available by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or on-line at www.LionSports.net.