Box Score



HAMMOND – Despite a University Center single-game record 14 assists by sophomore guard Elizabeth Styles, Southeastern Louisiana was edged 71-65 by Nicholls State in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the UC.
 
Southeastern (7-8, 0-4 SLC) erased an 11-point deficit to tie the game, but Nicholls junior guard KK Babin hit two deep threes down the stretch to key a 10-4 game-closing run. Nicholls improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the Southland, while the Lady Lions (7-8, 0-4 Southland) lost their fifth straight game.
 
Styles' assist total surpassed the previous facility mark of 13 by Millie Williams versus Southern in 1991-92 versus Southern. Senior forward Brandi Simmons was the lone Lady Lion in double figures, scoring 15 points. Junior forward Aja Gibson added nine points, while Styles, senior guard Cierra Morris and sophomore guard Symone Miller added eight points each.
 
The Lady Lions controlled the boards with a 38-28 rebounding advantage. Simmons and Morris topped Southeastern with six rebounds apiece. Simmons also led the Lady Lions with three steals, as Southeastern forced Nicholls into 18 turnovers.
 
Senior forward Alisha Allen led the Lady Colonels with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Babin fell just short of a double-double of her own finishing with 14 points and a team-high nine assists. Junior forwards LiAnn McCarthy and Jasmine Scott chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively, for the Lady Colonels. Sophomore guard Jenny Nash added six assists and led NSU with three steals.
 
Nicholls held a 40-31 advantage at the half and pushed the lead to double digits on a jumper by Allen with 16:46 left. Southeastern would battle back with an 8-0 run later in the half, capped by a Styles jumper that knotted the score at 55 with 5:12 remaining.
 
Babin came down on the ensuing trip and drilled a three from well beyond the arc. After a put back by freshman forward Nanna Pool cut the lead back to one, Babin answered with another three from several feet behind the line to give Nicholls a 61-57 lead with 3:01 remaining.
 
Southeastern would knot the game back up on a pair of Pool free throws and a layup by Simmons, sending the game into the final two minutes deadlocked at 61-61.
 
Allen broke the tie, getting free for a jumper. On Southeastern's next trip, Hoskins missed a jumper and then Nicholls came back to push the lead to 65-61 on a McCarthy basket with 1:12 left.
 
Gibson scored on the next trip to pull Southeastern within two with 52 seconds left. However, Babin came down and scored on a slashing drive to the hoop to make it a two-possession game with 30 seconds left.
 
Miller put in a jumper to cut the lead to two with 19 seconds left, but Nicholls went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final seconds to secure the victory.
 
Southeastern will now hit the road to face Stephen F. Austin on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Nacogdoches, Texas. The game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and LionSports.net.