HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the University Center on Thursday when it plays host to Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State in the annual “Jam the Jungle” game.
Tipoff, which will follow the Southeastern-SHSU women's game, is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), on the internet at www.LionSports.net, on the KSLU iPhone app and TuneIn Radio app. The game will also be televised on a tape-delayed basis on the Southeastern Channel (Charter Cable 18) with a live video stream available at www.LionSports.net.
The Southeastern Campus Activities Board and Southeastern Student Government Association will partner with Southeastern Athletics to sponsor “Jam the Jungle”. Free t-shirts and food, as well as the opportunity to win cash prizes, will be available to Southeastern students.
Tickets are available at the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466, on-line at www.LionSports.net or at the University Center Box Office (at Gate 3) beginning at 4:15 p.m. All Southeastern students are admitted free with a valid University ID.
Southeastern (5-11, 3-3 SLC) looks to rebound after dropping road games last week at league Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State. The Lions dropped a 52-40 decision to SFA, the NCAA leader in scoring defense, before dropping a 103-68 contest less than 48 hours later at Northwestern State, the NCAA leader in scoring offense.
Before its current two-game slide, Southeastern had won three straight games and four of its last five. The Lions have won three of their last four games in the University Center, including a 70-65 victory over archrival Nicholls State on Jan. 12.
Brandon Fortenberry leads Southeastern in scoring at 12.3 points per game with
Roosevelt Johnson averaging 11.1 points and team-high 7.7 rebounds.
Dre Evans (9.4 ppg.),
Jeffery Ricard (9.1),
Onochie Ochie (5.9), Antonio Benton (5.5) and
Todd Nelson (4.5) are next in scoring for Southeastern, which averages 60.7 points per game.
After opening with a 3-5 record, SHSU (11-7, 4-2 SLC) has won eight of its last 10 games, including road victories at Lamar and McNeese State. The Bearkats split in their league games last week at home defeating Central Arkansas (63-52) before dropping a 65-61 overtime contest to Oral Roberts.
Darius Gatson leads a balanced SHSU attack with 8.9 points per game while Terrance Motley averages 7.9 points and team-best 6.1 rebounds. The Bearkats feature 11 players who average 10 or more minutes per game while nine players average more than 5.2 points per game.
SHSU leads the all-time series that dates back to the 1973-74 season, 23-14, and has won the last five meetings between the schools. The Bearkats claimed last season's contest in the University Center, 57-55, as Gatlin scored a team-high 17 points, including a go-ahead baseline jumper with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Southeastern's last victory in the series came on Jan. 9, 2008 when the Lions earned a 61-58 decision.
