Box Score TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Southeastern Louisiana junior forward
Brandi Simmons posted her first career-double with a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, but Alabama countered with five players in double figures to hand the Lady Lions a 69-56 defeat in non-conference women's basketball action at Foster Auditorium.
Southeastern fell to 3-4 overall with the loss. Alabama used an 11-0 second half run to pull away from the Lady Lions, improving to 6-2 overall with its third straight victory.
Simmons, a native of Jackson, Miss. in her first season with the Lady Lions out of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, posted her best game as a Lady Lions and was joined in double figures by sophomore forward
Aja Gibson, who pitched in nine points.
Gibson also had seven rebounds, as she and Simmons help Southeastern keep the rebound advantage for Alabama to 40-39. Senior guard
Kelli Jenkins led the Lady Lions with four assists.
Jasmine Robinson led Alabama with 13 points, while Ericka Russell and Jessica Merritt added 12 points apiece. Erin Hogue and Aneesah Daniels finished with 10 points, with Houge's 11 rebounds notching her a double-double. Khristin Lee led Alabama with six assists.
Southeastern was down by just seven to start the second half and remained within nine after a jumper by senior guard
Jessica Sommers with 15:04 remaining.
However, Alabama scored the game's next 11 points. A three by Meghan Perkins capped the run and gave the Crimson Tide a 54-34 lead with 10:29 left. Southeastern could get no closer than the final margin of 13 the rest of the way.
Southeastern trailed Alabama, 33-26, at the halftime break. The Crimson Tide led by as many as 11 in the opening half, but six straight points from Simmons and a three by senior guard helped the Lady Lions pull to as close as four in the opening period.
Simmons paced Southeastern with nine points and six rebounds in the opening period. Russell countered with four threes in the first half for 12 points, while Hogue grabbed eight boards for the Crimson Tide. Southeastern was able to remain within striking distance thanks to a 23-20 rebounding advantage in the first half.
Southeastern will return home to host Spring Hill on Sunday at 3 p.m. Sunday's game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at
www.LionSports.net, where live stats will also be available. Freshman forward
Summer Postell is Sunday's Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Del Valle, Texas native courtesy of the Southeastern PRIDE.
Southeastern Louisiana (3-4)
Gibson 4-8 4-4 12, Simmons 6-12 3-4 15, Crenshaw 1-3 0-0 3, Jenkins 0-1 0-0 0, Holder 3-4 1-1 7, Sommers 2-8 0-0 5, Styles 1-6 0-0 2, Shaffer 2-7 0-0 4, Morris 1-1 0-0 2, Waller 0-1 0-0 0, Miller 2-6 2-4 6, Postell 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 22-57 10-15 56.
Alabama (6-2)
Hogue 3-8 4-4 10, Robinson 3-9 4-8 13, Perkins 3-10 2-2 8, Lee 0-2 2-3 2, Russell 4-7 0-0 12, Daniels 4-6 2-6 10, Farmer 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 1-8 0-0 2, Merritt 6-12 0-0 12. Totals 24-62 14-23 69.
Halftime –UA 33, SLU 25 . 3-point goals – SLU 2-20 (Sommers 1-7, Crenshaw 1-3, Shaffer 0-4, Miller 0-3, Styles 0-2, Simmons 0-1), UA 7-16 (Russell 4-6, Robinson 3-6, Myers 0-4. Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – Lee. Rebounds – SLU 39 (Simmons 11), UA 40 (Hogue 3). Assists – SLU 10 (Jenkins 4), UA 13 (Lee 6). Total Fouls – SLU 18, UA 18. A - 1124.
