HAMMOND – Winners of four of its last five games, the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball team will be back in action on Sunday, traveling to Abilene Christian for a 1 p.m. Southland Conference contest.
 
The game between the Lions (7-18, 5-7 Southland) and the host Wildcats (11-15, 6-7 Southland) will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Fans can also listen live on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
 
SLU head coach Jay Ladner and his staff will take part in the third annual Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefitting Autism Speaks. Ladner and his staff will wear Autism Speaks puzzle piece pins in support of the autism community.
 
Southeastern finally broke through with its first road win of the 2015-16 season on Monday, as the Lions edged McNeese State, 79-76, in overtime in Lake Charles. The win was the first for SLU outside of the University Center since a 65-59 victory over Nicholls on Feb. 14, 2015.
 
In the win over the Cowgirls, Southeastern had a balanced effort led by senior guard Zay Jackson and junior forward Jordan Capps. Jackson matched his season-high with 23 points to go with a team-high five assists, while Capps posted his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Senior guard JaMichael Hawkins chipped in with 12 points to give the Lions a trio in double figures.
 
Jackson leads the team and ranks among the Southland Conference leaders in several categories. The Hammond, Louisiana native is 15^th in the league in scoring (12.7 ppg), third in assists (4.9 apg) and seventh in steals (1.5 spg).
 
Southeastern is averaging 70.2 points as a team. Jackson leads a balanced attack that includes junior guard Joshua Filmore (8.8 ppg), Capps (8.5 ppg), Hawkins (8.1 ppg), freshman guard Dimi Cook (7.8 ppg), freshman guard Marlain Veal (7.6 ppg) and freshman forward Moses Greenwood (7.5 ppg).
 
Capps is 20^th in the Southland with a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game. The Lions have also benefitted from the return over the last two games of junior forward James Currington. Back in the rotation after missing 14 games, Currington is also averaging 5.4 boards per contest.
 
Abilene Christian welcomes SLU having lost three of its last four games. ACU is a spot ahead of Southeastern in the standings, but the Wildcats are not eligible for next month's Southland Conference Tournament, as they are still in the midst of its transition to Division I from Division II. Abilene Christian also boasts an 8-2 home record, including a 4-0 mark versus Southland opponents.
 
Like Southeastern, ACU features a balanced attack. Freshman guard James Franklin is sixth in the league with 15.9 points per game, while freshman forward Jaren Lewis (9.0 ppg), senior guard Parker Wentz (8.9 ppg), senior center Duran Porter (8.8 ppg) and junior guard Jovan Crnic (7.6 ppg) are the other top scorers for the Wildcats.
 
Senior guard Jalen Little leads Abilene Chrisitan and ranks fifth in the Southland with 4.7 assists per contest. Lewis leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game, while Wentz is the Southland leader in three-point field goal percentage (46.5).
 
Southeastern will be looking to complete the season sweep of Abilene Christian. Back on Feb. 6, the Lions burned up the nets, shooting 57.7 percent (30-for-52) from the field on the way to an 81-60 victory. Greenwood (14 points, nine rebounds), Capps (13 points, 13 rebounds), Jackson (13 points, nine assists), Hawkins (12 points) and Veal (11 points) all contributed to the 21-point triumph.
 
Following Sunday's contest, Southeastern will play its next three games at home. On Tuesday, the Lions will welcome UNO for a 7 p.m. contest in the University Center. Tuesday's game will be dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness and fans are encouraged to wear pink. The first 300 students will receive free food courtesy of Southeastern Athletics Student Marketing and Promotions.
 
Tuesday will also be a Cane's Challenge game, as if the Lions top 60 points, fans can take their ticket or student coupon to participating Raising Cane's by the end of business on Wednesday to receive a free combo with the purchase of another combo of equal or greater value.
 
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net, where LionVision subscribers will be able to access a live video stream of the Lions-Privateers matchup.