HAMMOND, La. – Four Southeastern Louisiana players scored in double figures and the Lady Lions forced 24 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi turnovers on the way to a 71-58 victory in the Southland Conference women's basketball opener for both teams Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
 
Southeastern (2-2, 1-0 Southland) led wire-to-wire en route to its first win in a conference opener since 2015-16. The win was the third straight in Hammond for the Lady Lions over the defending league regular season champion Islanders (2-7, 0-1 Southland).
 
"We had a few breakdowns here and there, but overall we were very pleased with the defensive effort today," Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. "We were able to create some steals in the back court and that really helped us get going offensively."
 
Southeastern was back on the court for the first time since Dec. 19. The Lady Lions had six non-conference games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
"We talked as a team prior to the game about being thankful for every opportunity we have to actually go out and play," Guzzardo commented. "We have some things to clean up before we play at Sam Houston State (on Wednesday), but to open conference play with a win over the defending champs is a great start for us to build on moving forward."
 
Daija Harvey led the Lady Lions in scoring with 13 points off the bench, making three of SLU's 10 three-point field goals. Harvey was joined in double figures by Jaylen Huderson (12 points), Breonca Ducksworth (12 points) and Hailey Giaratano (11 points). Morgan Carrier and Cierria Cunningham contributed to the balanced effort with eight points apiece.
 
Ducksworth led Southeastern with seven assists, while Cunningham and Carrier chipped in with five and four assists, respectively. The Lady Lions were credited with 20 assists on 28 made field goals.
 
The Lady Lions finished with 15 steals, scoring 15 points off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi turnovers and 20 fast-break points. Chrissy Brown led SLU with five steals, while Cunningham (four) and Ducksworth (three) added to Southeastern's season-high steal tally. Despite facing a size disadvantage, SLU finished with a 34-33 rebounding edge, as Giaratano led the Lady Lions with seven boards.
 
Makinna Serrata led the visitors with 14 points, while Alecia Westbrook contributed with a double-double effort of 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Alexandria Pollard came off the bench with 12 points and led the Islanders with six blocked shots.
 
Southeastern took the lead early on in the opening quarter. Huderson scored nine points in the first period to give the Lady Lions a 19-10 lead after the initial 10 minutes.
 
The Lady Lions maintained the advantage throughout the second quarter. The Islanders got as close as five in the period, but a three by Harvey sent Southeastern into the break with a 34-22 advantage.
 
SLU held on to its double-digit lead until midway through the third quarter. Westbrook and Pollard highlighted a 10-2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi run to close out the quarter, cutting the Lady Lion advantage to 44-41 heading into the final period.
 
While the Islanders could never overtake Southeastern, the visitors were within striking distance after a Westbrook bucket cut the lead to 58-52 with 4:32 left. However, a three by Harvey, followed by back-to-back treys by Giaratano, helped SLU cement the victory with a 13-6 game-closing run.
 
Up Next
Following Saturday's conference opener, SLU will play its next three league contests away from home. The road swing starts on Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. game at Sam Houston State. The contest between the Lady Lions will be televised 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 or text message 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.