NEW ORLEANS, La. – New Orleans held Southeastern Louisiana to three points in the third quarter on the way to a 58-47 win in the women's basketball regular season finale for both teams Saturday evening at Lakefront Arena.
 
Saturday's result sets up the Lady Lions (12-17, 9-11 Southland) to face off with UNO (17-12, 13-7 Southland) in the first round of the 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
 
Southeastern was led in Saturday's loss by Caitlyn Williams, who posted a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Celica Sterling shared team-high honors with 11 points of her own. Tyler Morrison led SLU with four assists, while Charliee Dugas added a team-high three steals.
 
Rehema Franklin was 6-for-7 from three-point range on the way to a game-high 24 points and was joined in double figures by teammate Dionjhae Thomas, who chipped in with 10 points. Whitley Larry led the Privateers with eight rebounds and three blocks, while Jada Duncantell dished out a game-high six assists for New Orleans.
 
Franklin had the hot hand early to give UNO an early advantage. One of six Privateer seniors playing in her final home game, Franklin had 11 points to stake New Orleans to a 22-8 lead after the opening quarter.
 
Southeastern righted the ship in the second quarter. An 8-0 run midway through the quarter keyed SLU outscoring the hosts, 18-9, in the period and cutting its halftime deficit to 31-26.
 
Any hope of a comeback was dimmed considerably in the third quarter. A three-point play by Jyar Francis was the lone score for the Lady Lions in the period. UNO held Southeastern to 7.1 percent (1-for-14) shooting in the quarter and took a 43-29 advantage into the final period.
 
New Orleans grew the lead to as many as 19 in the opening minutes of the final quarter. SLU would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
 
Up Next
Southeastern's first postseason game since the 2011-12 season will be televised on ESPN+. The SLU-UNO contest can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio and Lions Game Day Experience apps.
 
Fans are invited to send off the Lady Lions on their way to Katy when the team leaves on Tuesday. Fans are asked to gather at 10:15 a.m. at Gate 3 of the University Center to send off SLU.
 
The SLU Athletics Ticket Office has tickets available for the Southland Conference Tournament. Southeastern is selling all-tournament books that includes tickets for all men's and women's tournament sessions for $60. Single-session tickets are on sale for $20.
 
Tickets can be picked up at the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office through Wednesday. Fans who would like to pick up their tickets at the Merrell Center will-call must purchase by Tuesday. The SLU Athletics Ticket Office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and can be reached at (985) 549-5466.
 
SLU fans who purchase tickets on game day at the Merrell Center are encouraged to visit the Southeastern Athletics window at the tournament site.
 
2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
 
Thursday, March 12 – First Round
Game 1 – No. 5 New Orleans vs. No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana, 11 a.m. (ESPN+) (KSLU)
Game 2 – No. 6 Nicholls vs. No. 7 UIW, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
 
Friday, March 13 – Quarterfinals
11 a.m. - Game 3 - No. 4 Sam Houston State vs. Winner Game 1 (ESPN+)
1:30 p.m. - Game 4 - No. 3 Abilene Christian vs. Winner Game 2 (ESPN+)
 
Saturday, March 14 – Semifinals
1 p.m.- Game 5 - No. 1 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Winner Game 3 (ESPN+)
3:30 p.m. - Game 6 - No. 2 Stephen F. Austin vs. Winner Game 4 (ESPN+)

Championship – Sunday, March 15, 2020
1 p.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (CBS Sports Network)

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.