HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Troy outscored Southeastern Louisiana, 34-25, in the fourth quarter to pull away for an 81-69 victory in the opening game of the 33^rd Annual Lady Eagles Thanksgiving Classic Friday evening at Reed Green Coliseum.
 
Earlier in the day, host Southern Miss canceled its two tournament games due to COVID-19 concerns within the Southern Miss program, including Saturday's 5 p.m. game versus SLU. The tournament will close with a 2 p.m. game between Troy and Alabama A&M on Saturday.
 
SLU (1-1) went in to the final quarter trailing, 57-54, as it played evenly with the defending Sun Belt Conference champion Trojans (1-0), who return seven seniors from a 2019-20 roster that registered a 26-4 record. However, Troy was able to push its lead to as much as 15 in the final period to hold off Southeastern's upset bid.
 
Official stats have not been finalized as of Saturday. Unofficially, Cierria Cunningham led Southeastern with 20 points and eight rebounds in Friday's loss. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native was one of three Lady Lions in double figures, along with Hailey Giaratano and Breonca Ducksworth who chipped in with 10 points apiece.
 
Troy countered with three players of its own in double figures. Tiyah Johnson led the Trojans with 19 points, while Alexius Dye posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Janiah Sandifer added 11 points for the victors.
 
Troy jumped out to a 17-5 lead in the first quarter, but SLU closed the period with an 8-0 run to trim the advantage to 17-13. The Trojans again extended their lead to 12 in the second quarter, but Southeastern closed the half strong to go into the break within one and trailing, 35-34.
 
SLU took the lead early in the third quarter on a three-point play by Natalie Kelly, but Troy quickly retook the lead. Neither team could gain a clear advantage in the third quarter, as Southeastern went into the final period facing a 57-54 deficit.
 
The Trojans took control of the game for good to start the fourth quarter. Sandifer hit a pair of threes to ignite a 15-3 run that gave Troy a 72-57 lead with just under five minutes left. Southeastern would get no closer than nine down the stretch.
 
Up Next
Southeastern will take over a week off before returning to action. On Dec. 8, SLU will travel to face Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin in a 6:30 p.m. non-conference game in Nacogdoches, Texas. The game will air on ESPN+.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2020-21 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB 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.