HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana outscored visiting New Orleans, 17-8, in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 73-57 victory in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
 
The Lady Lions (9-11, 6-5 Southland) shot 50 percent (29-for-58) from the floor on the way to their season-high fourth straight victory and extended their longest conference win streak since the 2008-09 season. The loss was just the second suffered by UNO (11-9, 7-4 Southland) in its past 10 games.
 
"We executed very well offensively through the game," Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. "The difference was our defense caught up down the stretch. What's been encouraging during this winning streak is our success has been a team effort. We're not relying on one or two players to carry the load. We're getting contributions from everyone on our roster."
 
Southeastern again featured a balanced offensive output, as Jyar Francis and Morgan Carrier shared game-high honors with 19 points apiece to lead SLU. The scoring output was the highest of Francis' Lady Lion career, while Carrier tied a career high with four three-point field goals.
 
Caitlyn Williams added 13 points, while also leading the Lady Lions with nine rebounds, two steals and five blocked shots. Williams' near double-double performance helped the Lady Lions improve to 4-0 when winning the rebounding battle, as SLU finished with a 37-34 advantage on the glass.
 
Celica Sterling and Alexius Horne added nine points apiece to support the balanced SLU attack. The Lady Lions continue to protect the ball well, as Southeastern finished with 17 assists to just 11 turnovers. Carrier led Southeastern with four assists, while Williams, Sterling and Horne had three apiece.
 
Asia Woods led UNO with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Dionjhae Thomas chipped in with 12 points for the visitors.
 
Efficiency on the offensive end propelled Southeastern to take the lead in the first half. Carrier (16 points, four three-point field goals) and Williams (10 points, six rebounds) helped SLU take a 42-34 halftime lead.
 
Southeastern connected on 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from the field, while committing just two turnovers in the initial 20 minutes. Thomas led UNO with 10 points in the opening half.
 
New Orleans cut the SLU lead to 52-49 on a Pebble Pimpton three with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. However, back-to-back buckets by Horne and Hailey Giaratano allowed Southeastern to take a 56-49 lead into the final period.
 
A trey by Francis and a three-point play by Carrier stretched the SLU led to 62-50 early in the fourth quarter. After a basket by Mary Delgado cut the lead to 62-52, Southeastern took control of the game for good.
 
The Lady Lions held the Privateers scoreless for over five minutes, extending the lead to 73-52. UNO scored the game's final five points in the final 90 seconds to lessen the final margin. The win was Southeastern's first in its last six meetings with its in-state Southland Conference foes.
 
Up Next
Southeastern closes its three-game home stand on Saturday, Feb. 8, hosting UIW at 1 p.m. in the University Center.
 
The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of the SLU-UNO contest. Tune in online at www.LionSports.net or the Lions Game Day Experience app for Android or iOS devices. Fans can also watch on Southeastern's YouTube channel (/SLUathletics) with any mobile, tablet or smart TV device (e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku).
 
The Lady Lions will play its part in "Spring Into Spring" week at SLU, hosting Play4Kay and Alumni Day festivities in conjunction with the UIW contest.  
 
Southeastern is playing its part in raising cancer awareness by supporting the nationwide Play4Kay initiative. Proceeds from the game will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which raises money for cancer research and is named for the late North Carolina State head coach who passed away from breast cancer in 2009.
 
Southeastern Athletics, North Oaks Health System and PRIDE will partner to host the event. All cancer survivors will receive free admission, be honored at halftime during the Survivor Walk and are invited to the pregame survivor reception from noon-1 p.m. in the University Center's St. Tammany Room. Survivors are asked to RSVP by Friday, January 31 at (985) 549-5091.
 
T-shirts will be given out to fans as available. Links will be sold for a $1 at the SLU-UIW contest for the survivor chain that will be displayed in the University Center during the game. Southeastern student organizations, faculty and staff will participate in a Stationary Bike Challenge with fans donating to the team they believe will win. All proceeds from the links and Stationary Bike Challenge will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
 
For the contest, the Lady Lions will be decked out in brand new pink uniforms, donated by Craig and Pam Cook Forrest. Cook Forrest is a member of PRIDE and the Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as one of three Lady Lions in school history to have their jersey retired and one of the stars of the 1976-77 AIAW National Championship team.
 
In addition to supporting her team, Cook Forrest and her husband donated the uniforms in memory of Craig's sister, Kathy Dale Forrest. The couple believed buying the uniforms was a fitting tribute to Kathy, a Southeastern graduate who passed away due to breast cancer in December 2016.
 
Charliee Dugas will be Saturday's Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Rayne, Louisiana native courtesy of PRIDE.
 
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.
 
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.