Box Score

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana sophomore guard Charliee Dugas blocked Abilene Christian junior guard Sara Williamson's potential game-winning bucket in the final seconds, as the Lady Lions held off a late ACU rally for a crucial 78-76 victory in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
 
Southeastern (7-19, 6-9 Southland) snapped a two-game losing streak and kept its hopes of returning to next month's Southland Conference Tournament alive. Abilene Christian fell to 15-9 overall and 9-5 in league action with Saturday's loss.
 
The win was the first for the Lady Lions over ACU since a 104-69 win during the 1978-79 AIAW Regional Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. With the win and losses by Nicholls and McNeese, SLU is a game and a half out of the final spot in the league tournament.
 
Senior guard Taylin Underwood led all scorers with 23 points and was joined in double figures by freshman guard Morgan Carrier and sophomore guard Charliee Dugas, who added 17 and 16 points, respectively. Freshman forward Caitlyn Williams led SLU with seven rebounds.
 
Sophomore guard Breanna Wright and freshman guard Josie Larson shared team-high honors with 16 points each for ACU. Freshman guard Kayla Galindo (13 points) and sophomore wing Dominique Golightly (10 points) also finished in double figures, while senior post Sierra Allen led the Wildcats with seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
 
ACU dominated the opening quarter, taking an early 23-14 lead after the initial 10 minutes of play. The Wildcats built the lead all the way up to 17 with 2:11 left in the opening half, but treys by Underwood, Carrier and sophomore guard Tyler Morrison combined with a pair of Dugas baskets cut the halftime deficit to 44-40, as the Lady Lions scored the final 13 points of the half.
 
Southeastern built on the momentum of the half-closing run in the third quarter. The Lady Lions shot 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from the floor and outscored the Wildcats, 27-14, in the period. SLU went into the final quarter with a 67-58 advantage.
 
SLU's lead would grow to 10 points, but ACU slowly whittled the Lady Lion advantage down in the final minutes. Williamson made one of two free throws to cut the Southeastern lead to 77-76 with 33 seconds remaining.
 
After a Dugas turnover, Galindo missed a three, which Underwood rebounded and then drew a foul with 5.2 seconds left. Underwood made one of two free throws to put the Lady Lions up by two. Dugas made sure the lead stood, blocking Williamson's shot to clinch the much-needed win.
 
Southeastern will close out its regular season road schedule next Saturday at Northwestern State. The 4 p.m. contest can be heard on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio app. Links to live video and stats, provided by the host Lady Demons, will be accessible on the women's schedule page at www.LionSports.net.