Southeastern (6-12, 2-3 Southland) at Houston Baptist (5-11, 1-4 Southland)
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019 | 7 p.m.| Houston, Texas | Sharp Gym (1,000)
Series History: Lions lead 6-5
Last Meeting: Lions 85, HBU 69 – (Jan. 17, 2018 – Hammond, La.)
Television: None
Radio: KSLU-FM 90.9                                 
            Announcer: Chris Salim

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HOUSTON, Texas – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball team eyes their third consecutive win Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they face Houston Baptist at Sharp Gym.
 
The Lions (6-12, 2-3 Southland) are coming off two hard-fought wins last week over Lamar (8-10, 1-4 Southland) 76-69, at home Wednesday night and McNeese (6-13, 2-4 Southland), 74-71, Saturday on the road.  

SLU edged McNeese as four players scored in double figures for the Lions led by Marlain Veal with 27 points, 16 from Moses Greenwood and 10 each from Von Julien and Brandon Gonzalez. The Lions finished the game making 14 consecutive free throws to clinch the win. SLU is shooting 85-for-99 from the free throw line (86 percent) in Southland Conference games.
 
Julien, the junior from Reserve, Louisiana, scored seven straight points to break a 57-57 tie with 4:13 to go and the Lions never relinquished the lead.
 
"I think the best is yet to come from of Von," said fifth-year SLU head basketball coach Jay Ladner. "The more he plays on the floor with Marlain and they continue to get more accustomed to playing together, he is going to continue to get better game-by-game."
 
Veal, ranked third all-time in SLU career scoring (1430 points), is tied for the conference lead with Houston Baptist guard Ian Dubose in scoring, averaging 21.0 points per game in Southland Conference games. Veal, the New Orleans, Louisiana native, is 44-for-50 from the free throw line (88 percent) in five conference games.
 
Greenwood has been a model of consistency for the Lions scoring in double figures in 15 of 18 games. The senior from Sharon, Mississippi is second on the team in scoring averaging 15.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (7.6).
 
"Marlain and Moses are both battle tested and know how to get it done," said Ladner. "Those are the guys we want with the ball in their hands with the game on the line and they have been terrific the last couple of games especially. I thought Marlain was settling for too many jump shots earlier in the season but he has been attacking the basket more lately and getting to the free throw line and he has capitalized on it. Moses just simply plays hard every single possession and battles no matter what the other team throws at him, he finds ways to make plays every single night. I can't say it enough, he is an everyday workhorse."
 
While Veal and Greenwood have led the charge, they have not done it alone. Gonzalez has continued to produce after being inserted into the starting lineup Dec. 19 at Grambling. The sophomore from Punta Gorda, Florida is averaging 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in the last eight games. Senior Keith Charleston has also provided a spark shooting 12-for-21 (57 percent) in his last three games including a season-high 14 points against Abilene Christian Jan. 12.
 
HBU (5-12, 1-4 Southland) is led by Dubose who leads the Southland Conference in scoring (19.4), and leads the team in rebounding (6.4), assists (3.7) and free throws made (69).
 
"He (Dubose) is going to be a tough matchup for us," said Ladner. "He is a complete player and very difficult to game plan for. We are just going to have to try and make it as difficult on him as we can and try to force him to take some tough shots."
 
The Huskies are coming off a pair of losses last week to Abilene Christian (15-3, 4-1 Southland) on the road, 75-68, and Sam Houston State (10-8, 5-0 Southland) at home, 68-61. HBU has also played a difficult non-conference schedule including road games at Arizona, Miami, Wisconsin, Louisiana Tech and a 93-91 win over Wake Forest in overtime.
 
"Their record doesn't come close to telling the story for them," said Ladner. "They are an extremely talented team that was able to get a big win at Wake Forest. They are another example of the parity in the league. You look at their record and think one thing, but the reality is totally different. They could very easily be 4-1 (in the conference) and not 1-4. They are capable of beating anybody in this conference on any given night including us."
 
Southeastern's last two trips to Sharp Gym didn't go well. SLU fell to HBU, 81-74, Jan. 5, 2017 and 77-58, Jan. 9, 2016.
 
"It's just a tough place to play," said Ladner. "It's not a very big gym but it's so compact. The fans are right on top of you, so our guys just have to lock in and focus on the task."
 
After Wednesday's game, SLU will take on Northwestern State Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Natchitoches, Louisiana to wrap up a three-game road trip.
 
Wednesday's game will be heard 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.
 
INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN BASKETBALL WITH JAY LADNER
Each Monday night at 7 p.m., beginning Jan. 7th, 'Inside Southeastern Basketball with Jay Ladner' broadcasts live on 90.9 KSLU from Rainbow Daiquiris at 14384 West Thomas Street. Talk college hoops with Coach Ladner and host Allen Waddell, cover the finer points of each game and preview upcoming games. If you can't join the crowd, you can submit a question at www.LionSports.net for the "Ask the Coach" segment. Inside Southeastern Basketball with Jay Ladner airs each Monday night during the Lions' Southland Conference schedule on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network.
 
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.  All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @SLU_Hoops and @CoachLadner on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.