Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – Roosevelt Johnson and
Brandon Fortenberry combined for 43 points and the Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team turned up the defensive pressure in posting a 71-44 victory over Spring Hill College on Tuesday at the University Center.
DeShawn Patterson added eight points for Southeastern (1-1), which scored 27 points off 15 Spring Hill turnovers. The Lions finished 26-for-52 from the floor (50 percent) and held a 41-33 advantage in rebounds against the NAIA Badgers.
Southeastern, which entertains former Southland Conference rival Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, scored the game's first seven points and were never threatened in winning its 24th game at home in its last 27 contests. The Lions built a 20-point lead on a layup by Patterson with 9:14 remaining in the first half before extending their lead to 53-24 on two free throws by Fortenberry with 14:45 remaining in the game.
“We have a core group of veterans who know what to expect on a day-in, day-out basis,” Southeastern head coach Jim Yarbrough said. “Everyone else right now is still day-by-day, getting a little bit better. We're trying to find a bench rotation, which is up in the air because we have a lot of guys playing well in practice.”
Johnson, who scored 22 points as he went 8-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-9 from the free throw line, grabbed 10 rebounds for his third career double-double while blocking five shots.
Fortenberry, who scored 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc, scored 16 in the first half as Southeastern built a commanding 39-18 lead at intermission.
Daron Populist added six points for the Lions while
Jan Petrovcic pulled down eight rebounds and dished out a game-high three assists.
Spring Hill, which counted the game as an exhibition, was led by former St. Thomas Aquinas product and Southeastern letterwinner Stephen Burches with 11 points. Alex Looney came off the bench to score 10 for the Badgers, who were held to 14-for-49 (28.6 percent) from the floor.
SPRING HILL COLLEGE
Burches 4-9 2-4 11; Looney 3-7 4-7 10; Thelen 3-13 0-0 6; Edwards 2-2 1-2 6; Gatson 1-5 2-5 4; Sears 1-2 0-0 2; Martin 0-2 2-2 2; Gordon 0-1 2-4 2; Butler 0-2 1-2 1; Taylor 0-0 0-1 0; Williams 0-5 0-0 0; Schwab 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-49 14-27 44.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (1-1)
Johnson 8-11 6-9 22; Fortenberry 7-8 3-5 21; Patterson 4-5 0-2 8; Populist 2-3 0-0 6; Cooper 2-4 0-0 4; Campbell 1-6 2-4 4; Ross 1-2 0-2 2; Harrel 1-2 0-0 2; Petrovcic 0-3 1-2 1; Benton 0-2 1-2 1; Ochie 0-4 0-0 0; Nelson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-52 13-26 71.
Halftime – SLU 39, SHC 18. 3-point goals – SHC 2-9 (Burches 1-1; Edwards 1-1; Sears 0-1; Martin 0-1; Butler 0-1; Williams 0-2; Schwab 0-1; Looney 0-1), SLU 6-15 (Fortenberry 4-5; Populist 2-2; Campbell 0-1; Harrel 0-1; Benton 0-2; Ochie 0-1; Nelson 0-2; Patterson 0-1). Fouled out - None. Rebounds – SHC 33 (Looney 8; Thelen 8), SLU 41 (Johnson 10). Assists – SHC 7 (Seven with 1), SLU 10 (Petrovcic 3). Total fouls – SHC 19, SLU 17. Technical fouls - None. A – 650.
