HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball team wraps up a season-high three game homestand with a pair of big Southland Conference matchups against in-state rivals Northwestern State and McNeese State.
Southeastern (5-14, 2-4 Southland) and the Demons (10-9, 5-3 Southland) tip at 7 p.m. Saturday as the second half of a Military Apprectiation Day doubleheader featuring the Lady Lion and Northwestern State squads. The Lions and McNeese State (7-11, 1-6 Southland) face off at 7 p.m. Monday in Southeastern's annual Jam the Jungle game.
All of the games can be heard in the Hammond, Louisiana, area on KSLU 90.9 FM, online and either the KSLU or TuneIn Radio smartphone apps. Live statistics will be provided, as will streaming video on LionVision (subscription required). Links for audio, stats, tickets and video are available on the basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
Saturday, any person with a valid military ID will receive free admission and Southeastern will recognize all military members in attendance.
Monday for Jam the Jungle, free food and t-shirts will be distributed to the first 250 students in attendance. Promotions and prizes will be given away throughout the game which is also a Cane's Challenge contest. If the Lions score 65 or more points against McNeese State, fans presenting their ticket stub (or student coupon), and purchasing a combo at a participating Raising Cane's, will receive a free combo of equal or lesser value (through the following day).
Southeastern is coming off a 70-61 home loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this past Monday. In that contest,
Onochie Ochie led a trio of Lions in double-digit scoring with 15 points and hauled in a game-high eight rebounds.
Daniel Grieves added 14 and
Zay Jackson chipped in 13 points. Grieves and
Cedric Jenkins each picked up seven boards.
Jackson (16.5 points per game),
Joshua Filmore (12.9 ppg) and
DeVonte Upson (9.2 ppg) lead Southeastern on offense. Jackson (4.2 assists per game) and Filmore (2.3 apg) have split time running the point. Upson is averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest, fourth most in the Southland Conference. Jackson is fifth in the Southland in scoring and assists while Filmore's 2.6 three-pointers made per game leads the conference.
The Lions are shooting 43.4 percent from the floor (463-of-1,068), 31 percent from three-point range (121-of-390) and 66.6 percent on free throws (237-of-356). Southeastern is averaging 67.6 points and 33.6 rebounds per game.
Northwestern State has won back-to-back conference games, defeating both McNeese and Nicholls State.
Zeek Woodley (21.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Jalan West (1.6 ppg, 7.5 apg), the second and fourth-highest scoring players in the Southland, pace the Demons' offense. West leads the conference in assists. Marvin Frazier (5.8 rpg) and Woodley are the team's top rebounders.
The Demons are shooting 43.4 percent from the floor (561-of-1,229), 32.5 percent from three-point range (142-of-437) and 73.7 percent on free throws (316-of-429). Northwestern State is averaging 83.2 points and 35.3 rebounds per game.
McNeese has lost six of seven games since conference play began and its last two overall.
Desharick Guidry (17.6 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Kevin Hardy (12.7 ppg) lead the Cowboys. Guidry, the Southland's leading rebounder, is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double this season.
The Cowboys are shooting 42.5 percent from the floor (451-of-1,062), 32.3 percent from three-point range (113-of-250) and 63.9 percent on free throws (218-of-341). McNeese is averaging 68.5 points and 35.1 rebounds per game.
Tickets for admission to both halves of Saturday's doubleheader are available for purchase on game day at the University Center box office. The University Center box office opens one hour prior to tipoff.
Advanced tickets for individual basketball games can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466.
Courtside Top Cat seats are $25 for an individual game. General admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children (age 3-12). Doubleheader prices are $35 for Top Cat seats, $10 for adult general admission and $7 for youth general admission. Southeastern students will be admitted free with a valid university ID card.
Following the pair of home games Southeastern will once again return to the road, traveling to face Abilene Christian on February 7 in a Southland contest.
