SAN ANTONIO, Texas – In a game that featured 17 lead changes and seven ties, UIW outlasted Southeastern Louisiana University for a 57-54 victory in Southland Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the McDermott Center.
The loss was the third straight for Southeastern (12-9, 8-3 Southland). UIW (9-13, 5-6 Southland) won for the fourth time in its past five games, splitting the season series with SLU, which earned a 76-49 win over the Cardinals on Jan. 29 in Hammond.
UIW's win spoiled a dominant effort from Lady Lion forward
Caitlyn Williams. The Brusly, Louisiana native netted a game-high 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting to go with eight rebounds.
Taylor Bell chipped in with 10 points off the bench for Southeastern.
Natalie Kelly led SLU with nine rebounds and three blocked shots, while
Hailey Giaratano paced the squad with four assists.
UIW used a balanced attack, as Myra Bell led four Cardinals in double figures with 12 points. Jaaucklyn Moore, Destiny Terrell and Tiana Gardner each added 11 for the Cardinals.
Neither team led by more than six throughout the contest. UIW held its largest lead of 55-51 after a pair of Terrell free throws with just under a minute left.
On the ensuing possession, Giaratano found an open Williams, who scored and completed a three-point play with 44.8 seconds left to cut the advantage to 55-54.
UIW worked the clock down, but Moore's jumper from just outside the lane fell short and Williams grabbed the rebound to give SLU one last chance. Williams found an open
Daija Harvey open in the corner, but her three was off the mark.
Brenna Perez grabbed the rebound and Myra Bell iced the game with a pair of free throws.
Southeastern will return home Thursday to host New Orleans for a 5:30 p.m. contest in the University Center. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard online at
www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
Morgan Carrier will be Thursday's Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the New Iberia, Louisiana native courtesy of PRIDE.
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.
