HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana Lions saw firsthand in 2016-17 the importance of picking up a victory in the season opener.

    Southeastern rolled past Millsaps, 85-39, to open the season, a victory that helped propel the Lions to their best pre-conference start since 2009-10 and first winning regular season since 2010-11. 

    Southeastern will look to get off to another winning start when it opens the 2017-18 campaign against Centenary Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center.

    "I think that's huge," Southeastern head coach Jay Ladner said of opening a season with a win. "Last year, we were able to get off to a winning start and we ended up having a winning non-league record for the first time in a long time. But I would rather talk about us playing to our capability and playing to our potential. I think if we prepare as hard as can prepare and then we play as hard as we can play, then winning and losing will take care of itself."

    Friday's game, which follows the Southeastern women's team's 5 p.m. opener against Alcorn State, will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM 90.9 and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive. LionVision subscribers will be able to access a live video stream at www.LionSports.net/watch. Live stats will also be available at www.LionSports.net.

    Fans may bring any non-perishable food item to the game and receive a discounted ticket rate for the Lion and Lady Lion doubleheader. All of the food will be a part of the annual Southland Gives Back initiative and proceeds will go back into the Hammond community for those in need for the upcoming holiday season.

    Southeastern finished up its exhibition schedule with an 80-71 win over William Carey in the University Center on Monday. Junior guard Marlain Veal scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as the Lions held off a late Crusader charge. Senior guard Eddy Polanco added 20 points behind four 3-pointers while junior forward Moses Greenwood had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

    "There is a little bit different philosophies in exhibition games than a regular season game and obviously this is the first one that counts," Ladner said. "It starts for real. "I've been real satisfied with our preseason, including our practices and our exhibition games. We've played three good teams (UAB, Jackson State, William Carey) and I'm really excited about how we've been able to do, but we have a lot of work to do. Playing those games, more so than in practice, exposes a lot of areas of improvement and weaknesses."

    Southeastern is coming off a 16-16 season in 2016-17, culminating in a fifth straight trip to the Southland Conference Tournament. Veal was a preseason All-Southland second team selection after leading the Lions with 14.5 points, 144 assists and 58 steals in 2016-17. Greenwood averaged 11.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while senior forward James Currington pulled down 6.7 rebounds while averaging 8.7 points. Polanco averaged 9.3 points off the bench while senior guard Jabbar Singleton had 81 assists while averaging 4.4 points. Sophomore guard Chris Mejia (2.0 ppg) is the other letterwinner returning for the Lions.

    Southeastern welcomes back three key components who missed all or most of the 2016-17 season in senior guard Joshua Filmore, senior forward Jordan Capps and junior guard Keith Charleston, as well as newcomers senior guard Quinton Thomas, junior guard D'Angelo West, freshman guard Matthew Strange and redshirt-freshman forward Brandon Gonzalez. 

    Centenary will be playing its first game under head coach Chris Dorsey so Ladner said there is a bit of the unknown going into Friday's game.

    "They have a brand new coach and unlike a lot of other opponents who we are able to get a basic idea about how they like to play, this is something we're going to have to focus more on our game and have to adjust to what they do tactically because we don't know what to expect," Ladner said.

    Centenary went 12-14 overall and finished sixth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference a year ago. The Gents return 11 players off that squad, led by senior guard Travion Kirkendoll who averaged 18.0 points and 7.1 rebounds while dishing out 106 assists. Also returning are junior guard Treylan Matthews (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 82 assists) and sophomore forward Cedric Harris (10.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg).

    "They're a very talented team," Ladner said. "Three of their four top scorers are back. Centenary has a very strong basketball tradition. It was just a couple of years ago they decided to drop out of Division I but they still have a Division I feel. They have a number of Division I transfers on their roster and a number of Division I-caliber players. We know if we are not ready to play, they can beat us. They're a very strong test for us for an opener, for sure."
 
NOTES
   Southeastern will be celebrating its 70^th season of men's basketball in 2017-18. Although Lions basketball actually began in the late 1920s, Southeastern recognizes the 1947-48 season as the first of the "modern era". The program did not compete in 1989-90. The Lions' first official game was a 45-43 win over the Bogalusa Gaylords on Dec. 3, 1947.
 
   Southeastern and Centenary have met 43 teams before but not since Dec. 2, 1998 when the Gents took a 69-62 win in Hammond. The Lions' last victory came in 1997, 85-74, in Shreveport. Centenary leads the series 24-19 after having taking four of the last five. Southeastern is 12-8 at home against Centenary.
  
   The Lions and Gents were rivals in the TAAC from 1992-97. 
  
   Southeastern is 34-35 all-time in season openers. Last year's victory over Millsaps snapped a five-game losing streak in openers for the Lions.
 
   The Lions have won 11 straight home openers since falling 76-69 to Texas Wesleyan in 2005.
 
   Centenary has two players who have transferred from Southland Conference programs. Junior guard Regis Johnson was at Abilene Christian in before transferring to the Gents mid-season in 2015-16 while sophomore guard Shaun Jackson spent the 2015-16 as a manager for the Lamar men's team.
 
UP NEXT:
   Southeastern opens a stretch of six straight road games Monday at Tulane. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Field House in New Orleans.