Game Notes
                                                                    
HAMMOND  – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team will close non-conference play on Saturday, when it faces defending national champion and current No. 3 Baylor at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center.
 
The game between the Lady Lions (7-3) and the host Lady Bears (9-1) will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at LionSports.net. Baylor will provide live stats, which can also be accessed at LionSports.net.
 
Southeastern will be back in action for the first time since taking more than a week off for Christmas. In the last game before the break, the Lady Lions rallied from 15 points down to get past Alcorn State, 59-54, on Dec. 21 in Lorman, Miss.
 
Junior forward Aja Gibson scored six of her team-high 17 points during a game-ending 9-2 run by the Lady Lions. Sophomore guard Elizabeth Styles added 11 points and dished out four assists for Southeastern.
 
Southeastern ratcheted up the defensive effort in the second half, holding ASU to 15.6 percent shooting from the field after the break behind two steals from junior guard Jameika Hoskins and senior forward Brandi Simmons. Simmons just missed her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Despite being held under 60 points in its last two outings, Southeastern is second in the Southland Conference in scoring offense with 70.9 points per game. Gibson leads the team with 11.8 points per game, followed by Simmons with 10.9 points per contest. Sophomore guard Symone Miller (9.5 ppg), Styles (9.1 ppg), Hoskins (8.9 ppg) and freshman forward Nanna Pool (8.8 ppg) are the other top scorers for the Lady Lions.
 
Southeastern's scoring success has been fueled by the efficiency of several Lady Lions. Pool leads the Southland with a 56.7 field goal percentage and is joined in the top 10 by Simmons (51.2, 4^th) and Gibson (48.0, 10^th). Miller tops the league with a 53.8 three-point field goal percentage, while Styles (78.9, 10^th) has been one of the Southland's most accurate free throw shooters in addition to sitting in fourth in the league with 3.9 assists per game.
 
Southeastern is second in the league with a plus-7.6 rebounding margin. Simmons leads the team and ranks third in the Southland with 10.8 rebounds per contest and is one of three players in the league averaging a double-double. Pool (5.8 rpg, 14^th) and Gibson (5.3 rpg, 20^th) are also among the Southland's top performers on the boards.
 
Opponents have scored 67.1 points per game versus Southeastern, which is forcing 19.8 turnovers per game. Simmons and Styles share the team lead with 14 steals, followed by Hoskins (12), junior guard Taylor Mims (11) and senior guard Cierra Morris (10). Hoskins also leads the team with five blocked shots.
 
Baylor has been off even longer than the Lady Lions, having defeated Tennessee, 75-53, back on Dec. 18. Since suffering a 71-69 loss to Stanford earlier this season, the Lady Bears have rolled off seven consecutive victories. Baylor returns all five starters from last season's historic championship run, which saw the Lady Bears finish 40-0 under head coach and former Hammond High star Kim Mulkey, who led her team to its second national title.
 
The Bears are led by senior forward Brittney Griner, the reigning consensus national Player of the Year and one of the most dominant forces in the history of women's basketball. Griner's 21.0 point per game scoring average paces the Lady Bears, who are scoring 81.7 points per contest this season. Junior guard Odyssey Sims (13.8 ppg) and graduate wing Brooklyn Pope (11.1 ppg).
 
Griner is averaging a team-high 7.8 boards per contest, while senior post Destiny Williams (7.1 rpg) and Pope (6.0 rpg) have also been effective on the boards. Senior guard Jordan Madden is the team's top distributor with 4.2 assists per contest, while Pope (60.9) and Griner (60.8) have been accurate shooters for a Baylor team that heads into Saturday's contest with a 51.1 team field goal percentage.
 
Opponents are scoring 54.4 points and committing 17.6 turnovers per game versus the Lady Bears. Madden leads the team with 19 steals. Griner anchors the defense with 2.5 blocked shots per game and is nearing the NCAA career blocks record.
 
Southeastern is 0-4 all-time versus Baylor. The teams last met on Nov. 28, 2010, with the Lady Bears taking a 106-41 victory in Waco. Griner, then a sophomore, posted a triple-double with 28 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Gibson is the only current Lady Lion who played in that game, scoring four points off the bench. Southeastern's last win over a current member of the Big 12 Conference was an 85-58 win over Texas Tech in the 1978-79 Wayland Baptist Queen's Classic.
 
The Lady Lions will return home on Thursday, Jan. 3 to open Southland Conference play versus new league member Oral Roberts. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. and the 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 and a live video stream will also be available.