HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Southeastern Louisiana's
Celica Sterling saw her three-point field goal on the final possession miss wide, allowing Alabama A&M to defend its home court with a 51-48 win over the Lady Lions in non-conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Elmore Gym on the AAMU campus.
Southeastern (4-4) dropped its third straight in a back-and-forth game where neither could get a clear advantage, as the contest featured nine ties and 13 lead changes. Five points was the largest lead either team could manage throughout the game. Alabama A&M (3-6) was able to pull out the victory in large part due to a sizable height advantage in the post that led to a 42-32 rebounding advantage.
Sterling led all scorers with 20 points, while
Jaclyn Scholvin added 16 points for the Lady Lions.
Tyler Morrison chipped in with eight rebounds and four steals, while Scholvin led SLU with three assists.
Deshawna Harper paced AAMU with 12 points, while Nigeria Jones led the Lady Bulldogs with a double-double, posting 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with a game-high four assists.
Neither team could gain a clear advantage in a very competitive first half. Four points was the largest lead for either squad in an opening 20 minutes that featured seven ties and seven lead changes. The hosts went into the break with a 25-24 lead over the Lady Lions.
SLU took a 36-33 lead into the final quarter and scored the first points of the period to take a 38-33 advantage. However, AAMU held the Lady Lions to 1-for-8 shooting during a 14-5 run that gave the Lady Bulldogs a 47-43 advantage with just over two minutes remaining.
With just under a minute left, a Scholvin layup cut the lead to 47-45. The Lady Lions played excellent defense on the ensuing possession, but Harper hit a tough leaner to put the Lady Bulldogs up, 49-45, with 29.2 seconds left.
On the next Lady Lion possession, Scholvin stepped up and hit a three from the top of the key to cut the lead to 49-48 with 15.2 seconds left. After a Lady Lion foul, Jones hit both free throws to set up the final possession, which saw Sterling's tying attempt miss the mark.
Southeastern will return home on Monday, hosting ULM at 5:30 p.m. in the University Center as part of a doubleheader the Lion men's basketball team, which hosts California Baptist 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
Both of Monday's games can be heard live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at
www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Game Day Experience, TuneIn Radio and RadioFX apps. LionVision subscribers can access a live video stream of Monday's twin bill at
www.LionSports.net/watch.
Morgan Carrier and
Caitlyn Williams will be Monday's Spotlight Players of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring Williams and Carrier, courtesy of PRIDE.
TICKET INFORMATION
For ticket information on the 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.
