HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana finished with four players in double figures, but it was not enough as Abilene Christian edged the Lady Lions, 68-62, in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
 
SLU (10-15, 7-9 Southland) put forward a game effort against the visiting Wildcats (20-5, 12-4 Southland). However, ACU shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the field, including 59.3 percent (16-for-27) in the second half to send the Lady Lions to their fourth straight defeat.
 
Morgan Carrier and Celica Sterling finished with 14 points apiece to lead Southeastern. Alexius Horne added 13 for SLU, while teammate Caitlyn Williams posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Hailey Giaratano led all players with six assists and no turnovers for the Lady Lions.
 
The league's leading scorer, Breanna Wright, paced Abilene Christian with a game-high 20 points. Her backcourt mate Dominique Golightly finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to narrowly miss a double-double.
 
Southeastern led at halftime after a competitive initial 20 minutes where neither team led by more than four points. SLU took a 31-29 lead into the break behind 11 first-half points by Sterling.
 
The first big run in the contest came midway through the third quarter. A Jyar Francis bucket cut the ACU lead to 37-36 with 5:44 left in the period. The Wildcats answered with a 10-1 run over the next three minutes, extending their lead to 47-38 on a bucket by Madi Miller with 2:52 left.
 
Williams converted a three-point play and Carrier sank a three to send the game into the final quarter with ACU holding a 47-44 lead. SLU would briefly tie the score early in the period and a driving layup by Alexius Horne had the Lady Lions within 55-54 with six minutes left.
 
However, the combo of Wright and Golightly were too much for Southeastern to handle down the stretch. A score by the latter capped an 11-3 run that put the Wildcats ahead, 66-57, with just under three minutes remaining. The Lady Lions got no closer than six the rest of the way.
 
Up Next
Saturday was the first of three home games for Southeastern, which will return home to host McNeese at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the University Center. The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of Wednesday's game. 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).
 
Wednesday will also be a Cane's Challenge in the UC. If the Lady Lions score 60 or more points, fans can redeem their game ticket or student coupon at their local participating Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers to receive a free combo with the purchase of another of equal or greater value.
 
Sterling will be Wednesday's Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Baton Rouge, 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.