HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball squad powered away from Xavier of Louisiana in the second half Wednesday for a 79-61 exhibition win at the University Center.

Xavier (2-0) proved to be a pesky opponent in the first half, taking a 9-8 lead at the 13:10 mark and keeping the Lions at bay until a pair of free throws from Mike Hawkins put Southeastern up for a short time with 4:41 remaining.

"We're a work in progress," coach Jay Ladner said. "We made a lot of mistakes tonight, but it was a much better effort. Our intensity was much better. Our defensive effort allowed us to cut down the number of interior baskets we gave up. We're very small inside. I was proud of the effort."

Zay Jackson, a senior from Hammond, put the Lions up, 30-28, 20 seconds before the half.

The Gold Rush kept the game tight into the second half, forcing Southeastern to come charging from behind on a layup by James Currington at the 15:10 mark to tie the game, 38-38.

Joshua Filmore gave the Lions the lead for good, 41-38, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers less than one minute apart. Southeastern would build its lead up as high as 21 points, topping out three times in the final 6:34 of play.

Hawkins led all players with 22 points and Currington grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds to go with his 15 points for a double-double. Jackson chipped in 14 points and six assists for the Lions.

Southeastern shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from 3-point range. The Lions were 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the free throw line and out-rebounded Xavier, 45-30.

Morris Wright led the Gold Rush in scoring with 18 points while Lucas Martin-Julien contributed 11 more.

The Gold Rush shot 32.6 percent (14-of-43) from the floor, including 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from 3-point range. Xavier hit 30-of-39 attempts (76.9 percent) from the free throw line.

Southeastern opens the regular season at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at TCU.


XAVIER (LOUISIANA) (2-0)
Wright, Morris 3-11 10-10 18; Martin-Julien, Lucas 5-7 1-2 11; Pluviose-Philip, Wes 1-3 4-8 6; Smith, Gary 2-6 1-2 6; Alexander, Leland 1-2 3-4 5; Ward, Chris 2-5 0-1 4; Jackson, Seth 0-2 4-4 4; Daniels, RJ 0-4 3-4 3; Carter, Elex 0-0 2-2 2; Thibodeaux, Jarvis 0-1 2-2 2; Murph, Kevin 0-0 0-0 0; Savoy, Charles 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 14-43 30-39 61.

SOUTHEASTERN LA. (0-0)
Hawkins, Mike 8-16 3-4 22; Currington, James 6-10 3-4 15; Jackson, Zay 5-9 4-6 14; Filmore, Joshua 3-9 0-0 9; Charleston, Keith 3-6 1-2 7; Cook, Dimi 1-4 3-7 5; Greenwood, Mo 1-4 0-1 2; Nelson, Dominic 1-1 0-2 2; Veal, Marlain 1-2 0-0 2; Grieves, Daniel 0-1 1-1 1; Reid, Malcolm 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 15-27 79.

Xavier (Louisiana)........... 28 33 - 61
Southeastern La.............. 30 49 - 79

3-point goals--Xavier (Louisiana) 3-14 (Wright, Morris 2-6; Smith, Gary 1-4; Alexander, Leland 0-1; Jackson, Seth 0-1; Daniels, RJ 0-2), Southeastern La. 6-21 (Hawkins, Mike 3-8; Filmore, Joshua 3-9; Jackson, Zay 0-2; Cook, Dimi 0-1; Grieves, Daniel 0-1). Fouled out--Xavier (Louisiana)-None, Southeastern La.-None. Rebounds--Xavier (Louisiana) 30 (Pluviose-Philip, Wes 4; Savoy, Charles 4), Southeastern La. 45 (Currington, James 17). Assists—Xavier (Louisiana) 6 (Wright, Morris 2), Southeastern La. 16 (Jackson, Zay 6). Total fouls--Xavier (Louisiana) 26, Southeastern La. 28. Technical fouls--Xavier (Louisiana)-None, Southeastern La.-None. A-765