HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana senior guard JaMichael Hawkins tied a career-high with 29 points to lead the Lions past New Orleans, 93-81, in Southland Conference men's basketball action Thursday night in the University Center.
 
The Lions (8-19, 6-8 Southland) extended their home winning streak to four games with the victory. Southeastern built a 31-point halftime lead, but a game UNO (9-16, 5-9 Southland) team cut the lead to as few as eight points, but the Lions were able to hold off the Privateer rally.
 
The win moved Southeastern closer to securing a berth in next month's Southland Conference Tournament. SLU now has sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the tournament, which is scheduled for March 9-13 in the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
 
Hawkins was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc in the first half, as the Lions netted 10 of 12 from three-point range. The senior from Raymond, Mississippi was one of four Lions in double figures, along with junior guard Joshua Filmore (17 points), junior forward Jordan Capps (12 points) and freshman forward Moses Greenwood (12 points). SLU senior guard Zay Jackson dished out 12 assists to fuel the Lion attack.
 
UNO was led by junior guard Christavious Gill, who finished with 21 points. Junior guard Nate Frye (18 points), senior forward Kevin Hill (17 points) and sophomore wing Michael Zeno (12 points) were also key contributors for the Privateers.
 
It was the Lion defense that set the tone early. UNO took an early 8-4 lead with 17:14 remaining in the first half. For nearly nine minutes, the Lions held the Privateers without a field goal, using a 16-1 run to build a 20-9 lead with less than nine minutes remaining in the opening period.
 
The final eight minutes saw Southeastern go on one of the greatest shooting displays in school history. SLU made its final 12 field goal attempts over the final 7:07. Eight of those came from behind the arc – five by Hawkins and three by Filmore. The Lions shot 62.9 percent from the field (22-for-35) in the opening half to take a commanding 55-24 lead into halftime.
 
To UNO's credit, it would not go away quietly. The Privateers scored the first 10 points of the second half and gradually whittled away at the Southeastern lead.
 
With just under three minutes remaining, a three-point play by Gill cut the Lion lead to 80-72. Filmore answered with a three and Greenwood followed with a dunk off a Jackson feed to push the lead back to 85-72 with 1:35 left. UNO would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
 
Southeastern will continue a three-game home stand on Saturday, hosting Central Arkansas at 4 p.m. in the University Center. Saturday will be Senior Day, as the Lions will recognize Jackson, Hawkins and forward Byron Smith before the game.
 
Saturday will also be Take A Kid to the Game Day, as kids ages 12 and under will be let in free with the purchase of a general admission ticket. The game will also be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net, where live video (LionVision subscription required) will also be accessible.