JACKSON, Miss. – Celica Sterling scored 15 points to lead three Lady Lions in double figures, as Southeastern Louisiana battled to a 50-45 road victory over Jackson State in non-conference action Tuesday night at the Williams Assembly Center.
 
The Lady Lions (4-1) extended their winning streak to four games – their first winning streak of that length since the 2010-11 season – to get out to their best start since that same campaign. Jackson State, which beat Central Arkansas and lost to Memphis, UT Arlington, Mississippi State and UL Lafayette before Tuesday's game, fell to 1-5 with the loss.
 
"Jackson State is a comparable team to what we'll face in Southland Conference play," Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. "We faced a lot of adversity tonight and were able to respond, so this was a good win for us. We're playing for each other as a team and that's making the difference in these close games. With each game, we're trusting in each other more and more."
 
Sterling was joined in double figures by Caitlyn Williams and Jaclyn Scholvin with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Williams fouled out in the final minutes, but Aminat Jubril picked up the slack, flirting with a double-double (nine points, eight rebounds) in the best game of her young Lady Lion career.
 
Tyler Morrison was a steadying influence for the Lady Lions, playing all 40 minutes and leading SLU with seven assists and three steals.
 
JSU was able to keep in it thanks to Marniesha Hamer, who led the Lady Tigers with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Lady Tigers also showed an uncanny ability to get to the free throw line, as 23 SLU fouls resulted in 35 free throw attempts. Fortunately for the visitors, Jackson State made just 17 (48.6 percent) of their shots from the charity stripe.
 
Antionette Womack joined Hamer in double figures with 11 points, while Christina Ellis led JSU with four assists.
 
Southeastern closed the game with a 7-2 run to secure the victory. With the score tied at 43-43, Morrison hit a jumper to give SLU the lead with 3:17 remaining.
 
Neither team would score again until Sterling hit a dagger from the left baseline to put SLU up, 47-43, with 43 seconds left. JSU drew a foul on its next trip and Kaisah Lucky netted both free throws to cut the lead to 47-45.
 
After a SLU turnover, Jackson State had a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Hamer fouled Sterling. Sterling netted both free throws, then Scholvin added one more in the final seconds to provide the final margin.
 
Southeastern will return home on Friday, hosting Xavier (N.O.) at 6 p.m. in the University Center. Friday's game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Game Day Experience, RadioFX and TuneIn Radio apps. LionVision subscribers can access a live video stream at www.LionSports.net/watch.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
For ticket information on the upcoming Southeastern women's basketball season, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.lionsports.net/tickets.
 
SEASON OF GIVING
Southeastern Louisiana Athletics, the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs will hold a food drive throughout the months of November and December. Fans who bring one of the requested items to the University Center (game day only) or the Dugas Center for Southeastern Athletics will receive a voucher for a discounted ticket.
 
All items will be donated to the SLU Food Pantry. Requested items include snack bars, tuna, soup, cereal, pop tarts, macaroni and cheese, cup noodles, pasta, ramen noodles, chili, black beans, red beans, dry beans, peanut butter, jelly, Vienna sausage, rice, instant rice, instant potatoes, microwave meals, fruit cups, mouthwash, shampoo and toothpaste. 
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @SoutheasternWBB on Twitter, like /SoutheasternWBB on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.