Game Notes

HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team will hold Alumni Weekend in conjunction with Saturday's Southland Conference contest versus league leader Central Arkansas at 3 p.m. in the University Center.  
 
Prior to the game between the Lady Lions (10-16, 5-8 Southland) and Central Arkansas (22-4, 12-1 Southland), Southeastern and LHSAA Hall of Famer Pam Cook Forrest will have her jersey retired. At halftime, all returning alumni will be honored with special recognition for the 1976-77 team, which is celebrating the 35^th anniversary of its AIAW National Championship.
 
Senior guard Kelli Jenkins will be Saturday's Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Plaquemine native courtesy of the Southeastern PRIDE. Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Internet only at LionSports.net. Alumni Weekend will kick off with a 5 p.m. Legends Game on Friday that will feature former Lady Lions. The Legends Game will pit “Pam's Pistols” versus the team of the “Quick Chicks”.
 
Southeastern currently has a game lead for the eighth and final spot in next month's Southland Conference Tournament. UT Arlington, UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are all on the Lady Lions' heels with matching 4-9 conference marks. The Lady Lions have tie-breaking advantages over UT Arlington and UTSA based on head-to-head wins, however the Islanders' 78-73 win over Southeastern on Jan. 14 gives them the tiebreaker over Southeastern.
 
The Lady Lions could have solidified their postseason future on Wednesday, but their rally fell just short in a 67-63 loss at McNeese State. Jenkins led the Lady Lions with 17 points, four assists and four steals in the loss. Sophomore forward Aja Gibson (14 points, 10 rebounds) and junior forward Brandi Simmons (10 points, 10 rebounds) also posted double-doubles for the Lady Lions in the loss.
 
Gibson  (11.4 ppg), Jenkins (11.0 ppg) and Simmons (9.1 ppg) make up the top scorers on a Southeastern squad that averages 63.8 points per game. Simmons (46.8), senior guard Latoria Holder (46.7) and Gibson (44.7) are among the league field goal percentage leaders.
 
Holder (7.9 ppg) and senior guard Jessica Sommers (6.4 ppg) round out the team's top scorers. Holder is third on the team with 9.7 points per game in Southland play, while Sommers' 39 three-point field goals lead the team. The San Antonio, Texas native needs two treys to move into the school's career top 10 in that category.
 
Jenkins continues to be one of the league's top distributors, ranking second in the Southland with 4.5 assists per game. In league play, her 5.6 assists per game continue to lead the Southland. The Plaquemine native is currently fourth in school history with 435 career assists.
 
Southeastern finished with a season-high 57 rebounds, raising its season average to 39.9 rebounds per game. Simmons leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, followed by Gibson's 7.0 board per contest average. The Lady Lion post duo has combined for 10 double-doubles this season.
 
Opponents are scoring 65.2 points and averaging 19.1 turnovers per game versus the Lady Lions. Southeastern is led defensively by Holder, whose 2.0 steals per game are good for fourth in the league. Jenkins now needs seven steals to move into the school's career top 10 in that category. Freshman forward Hillary Shaffer continues to lead the team with 23 blocked shots.
 
Southeastern will face a stern test against a Central Arkansas team that has reeled off 11 straight victories since a 54-45 loss at Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 11. On Wednesday, UCA moved past Nicholls, 67-47. Junior forward Megan Herbert led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while senior guard Nakeia Guiden added 21 points for the Sugar Bears. If Central Arkansas defeats the Lady Lions, they clinch a share of the Southland Conference regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.
 
Herbert, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year, is the league's top player again in 2011-12, averaging 17.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. Herbert, Guiden (10.0 ppg), sophomore center Courtney Duever (8.3 ppg), sophomore guard Micah Rice (8.0 ppg) and junior forward Desiree' Rogers (7.4 ppg) make up the top scorers for a balanced UCA offense that is averaging 67.8 points per game.
 
Rogers' older sister Destinee Rogers is the team's top facilitator, averaging 3.0 assists per contest. One of two Southland players averaging a double-double, Herbert leads the league with a 53.3 field goal percentage. Rice paces the squad with a team-high 43 three-point field goals.
 
While Central Arkansas' offense is potent, much of the team's success has been derived from a smothering defensive effort, as opponents are managing just 52.7 points per game versus the Sugar Bears. Herbert leads the team with 20 blocked shots, while Duever's 33 steals is a team-high.
 
Southeastern is 5-7 all-time versus Central Arkansas and is looking to avoid being swept by the Sugar Bears for the second straight season. In a 71-54 loss on Jan. 25 in Conway, Ark., Southeastern held a halftime lead, but UCA came roaring back, as Herbert scored 20 of her 26 points in the second half and the Sugar Bears hit 66.7 percent of their field goal attempts coming out of the break.
 
Following Saturday's contest, Southeastern will close out its 2011-12 regular season road schedule with a 7 p.m. contest at McNeese State.