Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls scored the game's final five points to edge Southeastern Louisiana, 54-49, in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gymnasium.
 
Southeastern (10-13, 7-7 Southland) never could get into a rhythm offensively, finishing 31.5 percent (17-for-54) from the floor for the game. Nicholls (8-16, 5-10 Southland) completed the series sweep thanks to a 21-for-26 showing from the free throw line, while the Lady Lions were 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
 
Celica Sterling was the lone Lady Lion in double figures, finishing with a team-high 14 points. Morgan Carrier added eight points for SLU, while Alexius Horne led the Lady Lions with five assists and three steals. Jyar Francis paced Southeastern with eight rebounds.
 
Loan-Anh Johnson flirted with a double-double, leading Nicholls with 16 points and nine rebounds. Tykeria Williams added 13 points for the Colonels, who also received an eight-point, eight-rebound effort from Chelsea Cain.
 
Nicholls opened the game by taking an 8-2 lead, but Southeastern quickly answered. Francis and Sterling hit back-to-back threes to ignite a 12-0 Lady Lion run. SLU went into the second quarter with a 16-14 advantage.
 
The second quarter was all Colonels, as Southeastern was limited to 16.7 percent (2-for-12) shooting from the field in the period. Nicholls grew the lead to as many as 10, but five straight points by Daija Harvey to close the half helped Southeastern shorten the gap to 30-25 headed into the break.
 
Southeastern took its first lead of the second half on a three by Sterling that put the Lady Lions ahead, 39-36. Nicholls answered with the game's next five points to retake the lead. A Horne steal resulted in a layup by Hailey Giaratano at the buzzer that sent the game into the fourth quarter tied at 41-41.
 
Nicholls took a three-point lead into the final two minutes, but Sterling hit her fourth three of the game to tie the score at 49-49 with 1:43 left.
 
On the ensuing possession, Chrystal Ezechukwu drew a foul and sank both free throws to give the Colonels a 51-49 lead. Williams then came up with a steal for the Colonels and her layup put Nicholls ahead by four with less than a minute remaining.
 
Sterling and Francis missed three-point attempts on SLU's next two possessions and Williams hit one more free throw in the waning seconds to provide the final margin.
 
Up Next
Southeastern will conclude its three-game road swing on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. contest at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. A link to the Islander Digital Network video stream will be available on the women's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
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.