HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team's long-awaited return to the Southland Conference Tournament in on the horizon, as the No. 2 seed Lady Lions will open play on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
 
After its best-ever finish in the league standings, SLU (11-7) received a bye all the way into the tournament semifinals. The Lady Lions will face the winner of Friday's 2 p.m. contest between No. 6 Nicholls (10-13) and No. 3 Sam Houston (13-7).
 
The game will be televised on ESPN+. Saturday's semifinal winners will advance to the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The tournament winner will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, Texas.
 
Saturday's game will be SLU's first in the league tournament since the 2011-12 season. The Lady Lions earned a berth in last season's postseason, but the tournament was canceled right before Southeastern tipped off in its first round game.
 
A year later, the Lady Lions return with its best team of the 21^st century. Fourth-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo's squad has clinched its first winning season since the 2008-09 season, though Southeastern is striving for much more in its return to Katy.
 
SLU certainly has momentum on its side heading into tournament, as the Lady Lions closed out the second half of Southland Conference play by winning seven of their last eight games.
 
While Morgan Carrier (12.0 ppg, 45.7 3-FG Pct.) and Hailey Giaratano (11.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 40.0 3-FG Pct.) were SLU's representatives on the All-Southland Conference teams, Southeastern's success in 2020-21 has come as a team effort.
 
Carrier, Giaratano and Caitlyn Williams (10.9 ppg) are the three double-digit scorers, but 10 different players average six points or higher for the balanced Lady Lions. The trio of Carrier, Giaratano and Daija Harvey have helped SLU rank atop the conference and 11^th nationally in three-point field goal percentage, while the point guard duo of Breonca Ducksworth (3.2 apg) and Cierria Cunningham (3.0 apg) have ably ran the offense.
 
Southeastern's late-season success has been buoyed by the return to health of Williams and Natalie Kelly. The trio of Kelly (8.3 rpg), Williams (7.0 rpg) and Chrissy Brown (5.2 rpg) have been effective on the boards for SLU down the stretch.
 
Perhaps the biggest growth for the Lady Lions squad over the course of the 2020-21 has come on the defensive end. With Kelly (1.3 blocks per game) fortifying the middle, Southeastern has held its last five opponents under 50 points, marking the first time the Lady Lions have accomplished that feat since the program's inaugural 1974-75 season.
 
No matter who emerges from Friday's quarterfinals, Southeastern will be facing a familiar foe. The Lady Lions played both the Bearkats and Colonels twice in 2020-21.
 
Sam Houston is led by the Southland Conference Player of the Year and league's leading scorer Amber Leggett, who entered the tournament averaging 19.4 points per contest. Leggett is one of three All-Southland Conference performers on the Bearkat roster, along with Faith Cook (12.8 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Courtney Cleveland (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg).
 
SLU is 23-21 all-time versus the Bearkats, having swept the regular season series. In the first meeting on Jan. 6 in Huntsville, Texas, Cunningham and Giartano scored 17 points apiece in a 71-67 Lady Lion victory. On Feb. 10 in Hammond, Williams sank a shot at the buzzer to give Southeastern a thrilling 68-67 win in the University Center.
 
Nicholls is led by first team All-Southland Conference performer Chelsea Cain, who ranks among the league's leaders in points (17.1 ppg) and rebounds (8.3 rpg) heading into the quarterfinals. Anna McKendree (11.0 ppg, 3.1 apg), Chyna Allen (9.1 ppg) and Adrian Mann (8.4 ppg) are the other top performers for the Colonels.
 
SLU is 58-28 all-time versus its in-state rival. The two teams split the season series with each protecting their respective home court. With Kelly and Williams both out injured, Cain scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 76-63 Colonel victory on Jan. 9 in Thibodaux. Back in Hammond on Feb. 13, Giaratano scored a career-high 22 points and Carrier added 20 in an 82-63 SLU triumph. 
 
2020-21 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
March 10-14, 2021 – Merrell Center – Katy, Texas
 
First Round – Wednesday, March 10
Game 1 – No. 8 Houston Baptist 74, No. 9 McNeese 60
Game 2 – No. 7 Abilene Christian 81, No. 10 UIW 70
 
Second Round – Thursday, March 11
Game 3 – No. 5 Central Arkansas 56, Houston Baptist 51
Game 4 – No. 6 Nicholls 67, Abilene Christian 57
 
Third Round – Friday, March 12
Game 5 – Central Arkansas 69, No. 4 Lamar 55
2 p.m. – Game 6 – No. 3 Sam Houston vs. Nicholls (ESPN+)
 
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
1 p.m. – Game 7 – No. 1 Stephen F. Austin vs. Central Arkansas (ESPN+)
4 p.m. – Game 8 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana vs. Game 6 Winner (ESPN+)
 
Championship – Sunday, March 14
1 p.m. – Game 9 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (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
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