MACOMB, Ill. – A halftime lead Saturday was not enough for Southeastern Louisiana as the Lion basketball squad fell, 60-57, at Western Illinois.

The Leathernecks closed out the game on a 15-4 run, draining a three-pointer with five seconds remaining for the game-winning basket at Western Hall.

Both teams struggled to score in the first half, but Southeastern (0-3) was able to build a 25-21 advantage by halftime. Following back-to-back threes by Garret Covington, the Lions held WIU (1-2) without a basket for the final 6:32 leading up to the half.

Southeastern built its largest lead of the game, 53-45, following a 7-0 run that included baskets by DeVonte Upson and Zay Jackson, and a three-pointer by Joshua Filmore with 6:15 remaining. But unlike the first half, the defense could not contain the Leathernecks down the stretch.

Covington converted a three-point play with 27 seconds remaining to put WIU back in front, 57-55, but Jackson tied it up for the Lions with a pair of free throws. On the ensuing possession, Jamie Batish drained the game winner.

Jackson led the Lions with 17 points. His eight rebounds were second only to Upson, who hauled in 12 boards to go with 10 points for his second double-double of the season. Filmore also reached double-digit points, adding 10 for Southeastern.

The Lions converted 19-of-53 shots overall (35.8 percent), including 6-of-20 (30 percent) from beyond the arc. WIU finished 17-of-56 (30.4 percent) from the floor and 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from three-point range.

Covington scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Leathernecks, while J.C. Fuller grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Monday, Southeastern (0-3) travels to Tennessee Tech (2-1) for 6 p.m. contest, opening a four-game stretch that is part of the Tulane Tournament. The Golden Eagles defeated UT-Chattanooga, 69-67, Saturday at the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tennessee.

The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 FM, online and either the KSLU or TuneIn Radio smartphone app. Fans can also follow the game with live statistics or streaming video, available free of charge on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network. Links for audio, stats and video are available on the basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.


WESTERN ILLINOIS 60, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 57

SOUTHEASTERN LA. (0-3)
Jackson, Zay 6-14 2-2 17; Filmore, Joshua 3-10 1-2 10; Upson, DeVonte 4-7 2-2 10; Guillory, Andrew 2-6 5-6 9; Ochie, Onochie 2-5 0-0 4; Duplessis, Jimmie 1-3 1-2 3; Jenkins, Cedric 1-6 0-0 2; Grieves, Daniel 0-2 2-3 2; Barclay, Bret 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 13-17 57.

WESTERN ILLINOIS (1-2)
Garret Covington 7-15 11-15 29; Jabari Sandifer 2-3 4-5 8; Jamie Batish 3-8 0-1 7; Mike Miklusak 2-5 0-0 5; J.C. Fuller 1-13 2-2 4; Mohamed Conde 1-4 1-4 3; Tate Stensgaard 0-3 2-2 2; Jalen Chapman 1-3 0-0 2; Remy Roberts-Burnett 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-56 20-29 60.

Southeastern La............. 25 32 - 57
Western Illinois.............. 21 39 - 60

3-point goals--Southeastern La. 6-20 (Jackson, Zay 3-5; Filmore, Joshua 3-8; Guillory, Andrew 0-3; Jenkins, Cedric 0-3; Grieves, Daniel 0-1), Western Illinois 6-21 (Garret Covington 4-9; Jamie Batish 1-5; Mike Miklusak 1-2; J.C. Fuller 0-4; Jabari Sandifer 0-1). Fouled out--Southeastern La.-Grieves, Daniel, Western Illinois-None. Rebounds--Southeastern La. 39 (Upson, DeVonte 12), Western Illinois 41 (J.C. Fuller 8). Assists--Southeastern La. 8 (Guillory, Andrew 4), Western Illinois 10 (Garret Covington 3). Total fouls--Southeastern La. 21, Western Illinois 15. Technical fouls--Southeastern La.-None, Western Illinois-None. A-978