Box Score


                                                                   
THIBODAUX – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team nearly overcame a 20-point halftime deficit before ultimately falling to Nicholls State, 69-65, in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gymnasium.
 
The Lady Lions (9-13, 2-9 Southland) cut the lead to three with just under eight minutes left, but could never take the lead. Nicholls State completed the season sweep of Southeastern, improving to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in Southland Conference play.
 
Senior forward Brandi Simmons posted her ninth double-double of the season for the Lady Lions, finishing 8-for-8 from the floor for 18 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Elizabeth Styles chipped in with 13 points and a team-high four assists for Southeastern. Junior guard Jameika Hoskins gave Southeastern three in double figures with 12 points.
 
Sophomore guard Symone Miller pulled down a career-high eight rebounds for Southeastern, which finished with a 40-32 rebounding advantage. Miller and Simmons tied for team-high honors with three steals apiece, as the Lady Lions forced NSU into 22 turnovers.
 
Nicholls State finished with a trio of players in double figures as well. Senior forward Alisha Allen led the Lady Colonels with 18 points, while freshman guard Emani White and junior forward Jasmine Scott added 14 points apiece off the bench. Junior guard KK Babin led NSU with four assists.
 
Allen and sophomore guard Jenny Nash shared team-high honors with six rebounds each. Scott paced the NSU defensive effort with four steals, contributing to Southeastern's 23 turnovers. Allen also chipped in with three blocked shots.
 
Neither team could gain a significant advantage in the opening minutes, as a Hoskins bucket made it 16-13 Nicholls with 11:06 remaining. However, the Lady Colonels outscored Southeastern, 27-10, the rest of the half to take a 43-23 lead into the break.
 
The Lady Lions refused to go away quietly, opening the second half on an 11-2 run, capped by a Simmons layup to cut the lead to 45-34 with 16:10 left. Nicholls would briefly push the lead back to 15, but the Lady Lions went on another 16-4 run, as Simmons cut the advantage to 53-50 with 7:33 left.
 
Southeastern could never get any closer, until Miller scooped in a layup to make it 67-65 with 14 seconds left. The Lady Lions were forced to foul and Allen provided the final margin with a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining.  
 
Southeastern will return to action on Thursday, hosting Northwestern State at 5:15 p.m. in the University Center. The game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and LionSports.net, where live stats and video will be available. The game will also air on tape delay on the Southeastern Channel (Charter Channel 18). Miller will be Thursday's Spotlight Player of the Game and fans will receive a trading card featuring the Gonzales native courtesy of PRIDE.