KATY, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team had a 16-point second half lead before holding off a late rally in an 83-78 win over McNeese Friday in the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tip-Off Event at the Merrell Center.
 
The Lions (6-9) were led by Ryan Burkhardt and Gus Okafor as each scored 20 points to pace SLU. Burkhardt was 6-for-7 from the three-point line while Okafor was 7-for-14 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Jalyn Hinton and Roscoe Eastmond both scored 10 points to aid the Lions in the win.
 
The Cowboys (5-10) got 18 points and nine rebounds from Kellon Taylor to lead the way. Zach Scott added 17 points while Myles Lewis had 15.
 
Southeastern came out scorching as they shot 62 percent in the first half on 18-for-29 from the field. The Lions also drilled 10 first half three-pointers, building a 52-40 halftime lead.
 
SLU appeared to be cruising in the second half as it held a 66-51 lead with 13:05 remaining. However, the Cowboys came roaring back as they went on a 17-1 run to take a 68-67 advantage with 7:59 remaining, their first lead since 10-8 in the first half.
 
McNeese held a 71-70 lead with 7:22 left but the Lions didn't panic. SLU went on an 11-1 run over the next 3:48 to take an 81-72 advantage highlighted by a huge three-pointer from Burkhardt.
 
The Cowboys cut the Lions' advantage to 81-78 with 27 seconds to go and had a chance to tie the game. However, Hinton came up with a huge blocked shot and Okafor knocked down two free throws to seal the win.
 
SLU finished the game 26-for-52 from the field for 50 percent and 13-for-23 (60 percent) from the three-point line. The Lions also had 19 assists and turned it over just 13 times while shooting 18-for-21 (85 percent) from the free throw line.
 
The Cowboys shot 51 percent for the game on 30-for-58 shooting but were just 5-for-14 from behind the three-point line.
 
With the win, the Lions advanced to the Southland Tip-Off Championship Game where they will face the winner of Friday's game between Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
 
Fans can follow the entire three-day event as all games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Links to video and live stats will be available at the Southeastern men's basketball schedule page at LionSports.Net.
 
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.  All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
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. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.