Game Notes

HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team opens a stretch that will see the Lady Lions play four of the next five games away from home, when it travels to Thibodaux for a 3:30 p.m. Southland Conference contest at Nicholls State on Saturday in Stopher Gymnasium.
 
The game between the Lady Lions (5-11, 0-2 Southland) and the host Colonels (9-8, 2-2 Southland) will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net. Live stats will also be available at www.geauxcolonels.com.
 
Southeastern is searching for its first road win and its first victory in league play. On Wednesday, the Lady Lions were unable to overcome a 25 percent shooting night from the field in a 60-36 loss to defending Southland Conference champion McNeese State.
 
Senior guard Latoria Holder led Southeastern with eight points on Wednesday, while sophomore forward Aja Gibson pitched in with seven points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Kelli Jenkins led the team with three assists.
 
Losers of its last three, Southeastern is averaging 62.1 points per game. Gibson (11.8 ppg, 15^th), Jenkins (9.1 ppg, 21^st) and junior forward Brandi Simmons (8.3 ppg, 29^th) are all among the Southland's top 30 scorers. Holder (6.6 ppg) and freshman guard Symone Miller (6.0 ppg) are the other top scorers for the Lady Lions.
 
Jenkins has climbed to fifth in the Southland with 3.7 assists per game. The Plaquemine native continues to move up the school's career assists list with 376 career dimes.
 
Southeastern has been solid on the boards throughout the season, out-rebounding opponents and averaging 40.1 rebounds per contest. Simmons (7.6 rpg, 8^th) and Gibson (6.8 rpg, 14^th) are both among the top rebounders in the league.
 
Opponents are scoring 64.4 points per game and committing 19.6 turnovers per contest on the year. Holder leads the team and sits in 11^th in the Southland with 1.8 steals per game. Freshman forward Hillary Shaffer's team-high 12 blocked shots are good for 12^th in the league.
 
After opening Southland Conference play with wins over UT Arlington and Northwestern State. After losing at Sam Houston State last Saturday, Nicholls suffered a 66-59 loss at the hands of Central Arkansas. In the loss, junior forward Alisha Allen led the Colonels with 14 points and was joined in double figures by senior guard Sumar Leslie (11 points) and freshman guard Jenny Nash (10 points).
 
Nicholls State is averaging 66.6 points per game, but features three of the league's top scorer. Leslie is second in the league with 15.9 points per contest, followed by Allen (14.4 ppg, 7^th) and sophomore guard KK Babin (13.7 ppg, 13^th). Arguably the league's most versatile player, Leslie also leads the team and sits in second with 4.0 assists per game, while Babin's 3.3 assists per game are good for eighth in the league.
 
The Colonels are averaging 36.7 rebounds per game, but opponents are out-rebounding them by nearly five rebounds per game. Allen is 13^th in the league with 6.9 rebounds per game, while Leslie (5.6 rpg) and Nash (5.0 rpg) have been effective on the boards.
 
Opponents are scoring 64.9 points per contest and committing 18.0 turnovers per game versus Nicholls State. Leslie leads the Southland Conference with 2.5 steals per game, while Babin (2.1 spg) is sixth in the league. Allen (7^th) and  Nash (14^th) both rank among the Southland leaders with 22 and 12 blocked shots, respectively.
 
Southeastern is 54-13 all-time versus Nicholls State. The two teams split the two meetings last season, as each won on the other's home floor. In the 2010-11 regular season finale, Southeastern won 77-66 in Thibodaux to secure the final spot in the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
Following Saturday's game, Southeastern will travel to Central Arkansas for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday in Conway, Ark. The game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.