Box Score

HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University's Roosevelt Johnson, playing in his first game since suffering a concussion on Dec. 16, posted a double-double with a season-high 21 points and a season-high tying 18 rebounds and the Lions held off Spring Hill College, 71-61, on Saturday at the University Center.

Dre Evans and Jeffery Ricard added 14 points each for Southeastern (2-8), which snapped a five-game losing streak in its final non-conference tune-up before opening Southland Conference play against Oral Roberts on Jan. 3. Brandon Fortenberry notched his second double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Lions overcame 10 3-pointers by Spring Hill College and outscored the Badgers, 21-11, over the final 8:05.

Johnson, who was limited to two minutes of action in the Lions' Dec. 16 contest at North Texas before missing the team's next game three days later at nationally-ranked Florida, finished 10-for-15 from the floor. The 6-foot-6 senior went 6-for-7 from the floor in the second half as Southeastern went 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from the floor and outscored SHC, 41-32.

Johnson hit one of two free throws with 8:19 remaining that snapped a 50-50 deadlock and gave Southeastern the lead for good before adding a jumper in the lane for a 53-50 advantage with 5:48 left.

Spring Hill College, an NAIA member that was playing the game as an exhibition, got as close as 57-54 on a jumper by Alex Looney with 3:33 remaining, but Johnson followed with a basket and Evans converted a three-point play that pushed the Lions' lead to 62-54 with 2:27 left.

Southeastern, which finished 25-for-57 (43.9 percent) from the floor, opened the game with an 8-1 run before Spring Hill chipped away at the lead with a steady perimeter game. Robert Gipson, who led the Badgers with a game-high 23 points, buried the first of his six 3-pointers with 13:58 remaining in the first half before giving Spring Hill its first lead of the game – 18-15 – on a 3-pointer with 8:54 left.

After a three-point play by Ricard that tied the contest at 18-18, Gipson nailed consecutive 3-pointers giving the Badgers their biggest lead of the game at 24-18 with 6:35 remaining.

Southeastern, which led 30-29 at halftime, built a 44-34 lead on a layup by Ricard with 15:08 remaining in the game before the Badgers used an 11-1 run that was capped by a jumper by Fredrick Gatson at the 11:37 mark.

Gipson, who went 6-for-7 with five 3-pointers in the first half, was held to 2-for-11 in the second half and 1-for-9 from behind the arc. Robert Drummond added 10 points off the bench for the Badgers while freshman Jackson Fos, a native of nearby Covington, La., and former prep standout at St. Paul's School, dished out a game-high five assists.

Southeastern will return to action on Thursday when it hosts league newcomer and pre-season favorite Oral Roberts in the Southland Conference opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.