HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana will look to continue its success on the road in Southland Conference play when the Lions travel to Sam Houston State Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off in Huntsville, Texas.

    The Lions (12-8, 6-1 Southland), tied with Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin atop the conference standings, are the lone undefeated team on the road in league play at 3-0. The Bearkats (11-9, 5-2 Southland), meanwhile, are 3-0 in the conference and 8-1 overall in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

    The game between the Lions and Bearkats will be broadcast on ESPN3. It can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio app. A link to live stats, provided by Sam Houston, can be found on the Southeastern men's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

    Southeastern is off to its best Southland start since the 2004-05 season and can match that squad for the best eight-game start since joining the league in 1997-98 with a win Wednesday.

    The Lions are coming off an 85-58 victory over Northwestern State on Saturday. Senior forward Jordan Capps led Southeastern with 15 points. Junior guard Marlain Veal tied a career high with six steals while adding 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Senior forward James Currington also had 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals. Junior forward Moses Greenwood added 12 points. The Lions shot 50.8 percent while recording 21 assists with just 10 turnovers.

    Sam Houston had a five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday as Lamar rallied from an 18-point deficit to take an 84-77 overtime win in Beaumont. Junior guard John Dewey III led the Bearkats with 18 points and seven assists. Senior forward Christopher Galbreath Jr. had 14 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Junior forward Abrian Edwards added 14 points while junior guard Josh Delaney had 12.       
 
NOTES
Southeastern
    Southeastern head coach Jay Ladner and his coaching staff are participating in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week. While coaching games during the week, coaches wear sneakers with their game attire as a visible reminder about the importance of fighting cancer. There is also an online auction, hosted by eBay for Charity, featuring sneakers and ties signed by college basketball coaches.
 
    Southeastern scored 85 points against both Houston Baptist and Northwestern State this past week, the first time the Lions have scored 85-plus points in consecutive games since March 9-14, 2013 against Lamar and McNeese.
   
    Southeastern gave up just two assists against Northwestern State, breaking the University Center record of three allowed against Texas State in 2005, Baptist Christian in 1994 and Northeast Louisiana (now ULM) in 1983. The two assists are also the fewest allowed in the Southland Conference this season.
 
    Southeastern is averaging 72.7 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent on 3-pointers. Opponents are averaging 70.2 points on 43.6 percent shooting, 33.6 percent on 3s. The Lions are second in the Southland in scoring defense (65.3 ppg) and third in field goal percentage defense (.408) in conference play. 
 
    Southeastern is averaging 36.2 rebounds while giving up 35.4.
 
    The Lions are committing the fewest fouls in the conference (17.1 per game).
 
    Capps, who received honorable mention Southland Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday, leads the Lions and ranks 13th in the Southland with 13.7 points per game. He is also seventh in field goal percentage (.525) and 11th in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).
 
    Veal is the conference leader and ranks 33rd nationally with 5.7 assists per game. He is also second in the league and 24th in the country with 2.2 steals per contest. He ranks 11th in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and 23rd in scoring (12.5 ppg). His three 10-assist games lead the Southland and he is averaging 7.0 rebounds in league play.
 
    Greenwood is tied for 11th in rebounding (6.4 rpg) while averaging 8.7 points per game. Senior guard Joshua Filmore is fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.4) while senior guard Jabbar Singleton is sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.406).
 
    Expected to start for the Lions are Veal, Capps, Filmore (9.0 ppg, 32 assists), Singleton (7.3 ppg, 51 assists) and Currington (78.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 30 steals).
 
    Sam Houston has won six straight and 14 of the past 16 against Southeastern to take a 28-15 lead in the series. The Lions' last win against the Bearkats was a 69-65 victory in Hammond on Jan. 24, 2013. 
 
    Southeastern is traveling to Sam Houston for the third straight season. The Bearkats took a 71-69 win in 2017 and are 15-5 against the Lions in Huntsville. Southeastern has not won at Sam Houston since a 61-58 win in 2008.
 
Sam Houston State
    Defense has been a key to Sam Houston's success in 2017-18 as the Bearkats lead the Southland in scoring (66.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.409) and 3-point field goal percentage (.309) defense.
 
    Offensively, Sam Houston is shooting 41.8 percent, 32.8 on 3s, in averaging 70.8 points. The Bearkats are third in the league with 38.7 rebounds per game while allowing 34.7.                
 
    Galbreath is second in the conference in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and ninth in scoring (14.7 ppg). His eight double-doubles lead the league. Dewey, a preseason All-Southland selection, is second in assists (5.3 apg) and free throw percentage (.868) and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7) while averaging 10.2 points.
 
    Galbreath, Dewey, Edwards (6.4 ppg, 3/3 rpg), junior guard Marcus Harris (8.8 ppg) and junior forward Josh Boutte (3.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) are the probable starters for Sam Houston.
 
    Jason Hooten is in his eighth season as head coach of the Bearkats.
 
QUOTES:
Southeastern head coach Jay Ladner:
On Sam Houston State…
    "We're going there for the third straight year and the prior two years we lost very close games. We just couldn't get over the hump there. They always have a good team and they have another outstanding team. There is a lot at stake and we have a great challenge in front of us. They are well-coached and have great balance, great team play. They play great defense. It's a very critical game for the future of the season."
 
On the conference race…
    "A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about having 16 games left and now it's 11 and it's getting tight. There is going to be some separation over these next couple of weeks because the league is incredibly balanced. Even the bottom teams have potential. There is really nobody you can say you can't beat and there is nobody you can walk in there and say we're going to win this game. You have to prepare for each one of them individually and that is what we are trying to do."
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UP NEXT:
    Southeastern concludes its two-game road trip with a visit to conference co-leader Nicholls Saturday for the ESPN3 Southland Conference Game of the Week at 6:30 p.m. in Thibodaux.