HAMMOND, La. – The defending Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team returns to Hammond, America Thursday to kick off the second week of conference play, taking on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a 6 p.m. matchup at the Pride Roofing University Center.
 
The game between Southeastern (6-7, 2-0 SLC) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-4, 2-0 SLC) opens the week. Southeastern will travel to Lake Charles to once again be battle tested on the road against McNeese (4-11, 0-2 SLC) for a 1 p.m. tipoff Saturday.
 
Both games will be on ESPN+ and will also be heard in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. Streaming audio of 90.9 The Lion broadcasts is available online, at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive or www.LionUpRadio.org, or through the following apps - Lions' Gameday, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio. Live stats can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
SLU concluded its first week of league play with a 2-0 start on the road after finishing both contests with a spark in the second half fueled by paint production. The Lady Lions defeated Nicholls 66-56 in their conference opener, before securing a 57-44 victory over the New Orleans Privateers Saturday afternoon to end week one.
 
In the win over Nicholls, Shawnee Community College transfer Cheyanne Daniels led both teams in scoring with 20 points and eight rebounds. Daniels finished 7-7 from the field versus the Colonels and has scored double-digits in four games this season. Junior transfer Arianna Patton led SLU with 12 points in the win over the Privateers shooting 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from the three-point line to help secure the second win on the road.
 
Kennedy Paul ended week one reaching 1,000 career points after scoring nine points versus New Orleans Saturday afternoon. The graduate transfer shot 50.0 percent from the field on the way to a nine-point, nine rebound performance in the win at UNO. Paul and Hailey Giaratano have both reached 1,000 career points this season for the program.
 
The Lady Lions are looking to keep the momentum going into week two of league play led by Giaratano with 12.2 points per game, followed by Daniels (10.5 ppg), Taylor Bell (9.3 ppg), Jalencia Pierre (6.8 ppg) and Allasia Washington (6.6 ppg). Giaratano also leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio with 2.05, while Daniels and Bell are ranked in the top ten for blocked shots with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
SLU leads the SLC in turnover margin, forcing opponents to 17 turnovers a game led by Bell with 1.8 steals per game. Southeastern also ranks second in field goal percentage defense, holding teams in the conference to 36.0 percent.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi also won its first two conference games over HCU and UIW. The Islanders are among three teams in the conference to finish week one with a 2-0 start. Graduate senior Alecia Westbrook leads the Islanders in scoring and rebounding with 11.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. Westbrook is coming off a 27-point game over UIW as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the conference in scoring margin (+11.46).
 
McNeese went 0-2 in its first two conference road games against Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce. The Cowgirls are led by Emilia Tenbrock averaging 14.7 points per game and Mireia Yespes with 10 points and 5.2 rebounds. Tenbrock is returning from a 40-point game in the loss to Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday. The Cowgirls are second in the conference for scoring offense averaging 70.8 points per game. In conference play, four players for McNeese contribute an average of double-digit scoring.
 
Thursday's game will honor junior Dijone' Flowers as the Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring her courtesy of PRIDE. Southeastern Athletics also wants to Kick Off the New Year at Thursday's game, as fans are encouraged to wear their freshest kicks to the Pride Roofing University Center.
 
After Saturday's game, Southeastern will return for two home games in the Pride Roofing University Center. The Lady Lions will start off the week versus Northwestern State for a 6 p.m. matchup Jan. 18, then battle Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. The Pride Roofing University Center would like to extend a special welcome to the Hammond Community on Family Day Jan. 20.
 
Mackenzie Thomas (Jan. 18) and Terri Crawford (Jan. 20) will be the upcoming Spotlight Players of the Game and the first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring that day's Spotlight Player courtesy of PRIDE. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on 90.9 The Lion.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X, like /SoutheasternWBB 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 offers 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.

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.
 
 
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