Game 11 | Southeastern (4-6, 0-0 SLC) vs. Northwestern State (7-4, 0-0 SLC)
Jan. 15, 2022 | 1 p.m. | University Center | Hammond, La.
Series History: NSU leads 49-25
Last Meeting: Southeastern 73, Northwestern State 39 (Feb. 27, 2021 | Natchitoches, La.)
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers: Tyler Thomas and Kemmler Chapple
Audio: www.LionSports.net/ListenLive
            Announcer: Chris Salim
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats
 
HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team will open Southland Conference play on Saturday, hosting league foe Northwestern State for a 1 p.m. contest in the University Center.
 
The game between the Lady Lions (4-6, 0-0 Southland) and the visiting Lady Demons (7-4, 0-0 Southland) will be televised on ESPN+. The contest can also be heard online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
 
Saturday's game will also be the "We Back Pat" contest dedicated to the fight against Alzheimer's disease in honor of the memory of legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who lost her battle with Alzheimer's at the age of 64. The first 50 fans will receive free t-shirts commemorating the contest. Both teams will wear the t-shirts prior to the contest.
 
In honor of Coach Summitt's legacy, We Back Pat week was created to increase awareness of Alzheimer's disease and to celebrate the accomplishments of the Pat Summitt Foundation which is working to combat the disease, support research efforts, and provide resources for families and caregivers. For more information, visit www.patsummitt.org.
 
Breonca Ducksworth is Saturday's Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Taylorsville, Mississippi native courtesy of PRIDE.
 
Because of COVID-19 protocols within various opposing programs, the Lady Lions will be back on the court for the first time since Dec. 20. SLU will be looking to bounce back from a 70-38 loss at Stephen F. Austin. Hailey Giaratano and Morgan Davis led Southeastern with eight points apiece in the program's lowest scoring output of the 2021-22 season.
 
The Lady Lions enter Saturday's contest averaging 60.0 points per game. Giaratano paces the team with 9.4 points per game. Morgan Carrier (7.3 ppg), Caitlyn Williams (6.6 ppg), Davis (6.5 ppg) and Ducksworth (6.0 ppg) are the other top scorers for Southeastern. Giaratano also leads the team with 3.1 assists per contest.
 
SLU has been effective on the boards over the season's first 10 games and heads into league play with a plus-2.8 rebounding margin. Williams tops the team and ranks third in the Southland Conference with 8.0 rebounds per contest. Natalie Kelly is currently ninth in the league with 5.5 boards per outing.
 
On the defensive end, opponents are averaging 56.0 points and committing 16.7 turnovers per game versus the Lady Lions. Ducksworth leads the team with 13 steals on the year, while Giaratano has blocked a team-high 11 shots.
 
Williams and Carrier are among the program's all-time leaders in several categories. Williams is seventh in school history with 722 career rebounds and ranks fourth with 85 career blocked shots. Carrier is in the program's career top 10 in both three-point field goals made (145, 4th) and attempted (423, 5th).
 
Northwestern State had a COVID-19 induced 24-day layoff of its own, before closing nonconference play with a 79-67 victory over Champion Christian on Tuesday. Candice Parramore led four Lady Demons in double figures with 20 points, topping that plateau for the third time this season.
 
Monette Bolden (13.4 ppg), Parramore (12.0 ppg) and Jiselle Woodson (10.4 ppg) give NSU three players averaging in double figures. Jordan Todd is the Demon's top rebounder with 9.5 rebounds per contest.
 
Northwestern State leads the all-time series, 49-25, but Southeastern has swept the season series each of the past two campaigns. Saturday's game will be the first of two meetings between the in-state rivals, as SLU will head to Natchitoches on March 5.
 
Since joining the Southland Conference, Southeastern is 6-18 in league openers. Last season, SLU opened conference play with a 71-58 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
The Lady Lions will open the road portion of their Southland Conference schedule next Thursday. Southeastern will travel to face New Orleans at 5 p.m. in Lakefront Arena. The game at the Privateers will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
 
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. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.