HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team saw a team that averaged 5 threes a game and 27.9% from three coming in hit 11 three-pointers and 36.7% from deep, sinking the Lions to their third-straight defeat in a 73-68 loss to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders Monday night at the Pride Roofing University Center.
Southeastern (6-11, 1-3 SLC) enjoyed its first lead in three games as
Roger McFarlane hit a three-pointer to give SLU a 3-2 lead a little more than three minutes into the contest. After falling behind by three, the Lions pulled back in front as McFarlane and
Nick Caldwell scored on back-to-back jumpers in the paint to reclaim the lead at 9-8 with 14 minutes left in the first half. However, that would be SLU's final lead in the contest as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (10-7, 3-1 SLC) answered with a three on their ensuing possession and would not trail again.
Southeastern kept it close though as the Islander lead would bounce between two and five points over the next few minutes as a
Roscoe Eastmond three made the score 17-15 Islanders with less than seven minutes left until halftime. But that's where A&M-Corpus Christi opened a bit of a lead for the first time, going on a 10-4 push to make it 27-19 after another three with 3:20 left in the first half. After a trade of buckets made it 29-21, another McFarlane three started a 7-2 Lions push which cut that lead down to three points at 31-28 as
Dylan Canoville hit a pair of free throws with less than 30 seconds to go before the break. However, the Islanders scored right before the buzzer to take a 33-28 advantage into the locker room.
A&M-Corpus Christi pushed the lead out to nine early in the second half as a score from the paint with 16:10 remaining made it 43-34 Islanders, which followed by another trading of baskets to make the score 45-36 with 14:30 to go. McFarlane pulled his team back into it, scoring the next six points on his own thanks to a basket and foul, converting the three-point play, and then hit another three-pointer to make it 45-42 Islanders with 13 minutes left.
After the two teams traded a pair of free throws, A&M-Corpus Christi went on its big run that put Southeastern in a bind as the Islanders scored 11 of the next 12 points to take their largest lead of the contest as 58-45 with 7:10 left, a run which included two made three-pointers and an old-fashioned three-point play for TAMUCC. SLU battled to get back in it over the final seven minutes, but would get it down to a one possession game as
Roscoe Eastmond hit a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds left which made the score 71-68. The Islanders converted their free throws on the next possession for the game's final points as the Lions missed on their final shot of the contest and the Islanders dribbled out the clock.
McFarlane led all scorers with 18 points as hit six of his 10 shot attempts, including three-of-four from deep. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while assisting on two other baskets.
Nick Caldwell scored 16 points on seven made baskets while getting a rebound and an assist. Eastmond hit four of his 10 shot attempts, including a three-pointer, and all three of his free throw attempts to finish with 14 points while dishing out six assists and grabbing a rebound.
Alec Woodard followed his career day against McNeese by hitting four of his eight attempts against the Islanders, including a three, and all four of his shots from the charity stripe for 13 points while grabbing six rebounds, and doling out three assists.
Brody Rowbury grabbed seven rebounds, had a block, and a steal.
Dylan Canoville had five rebounds, two blocks, and three steals.
Southeastern hit 39.6% of its shot attempts and 31.8% from above the three-point arc. The Lions were also very effective at the free throw line, hitting 19 of the 23 attempts from the charity stripe to finish at 82.6% as a team. Corpus was intent on shooting threes, regardless of their sub-30% average from deep coming in, and it worked out for the Islanders as 30 of TAMUCC's shot attempts in the game came from long distance, hitting 11, more than double their per game average coming in, to finish at 36.7% from three. A&M-Corpus Christi finished the game overall at 42.9% while hitting on 14 of their 21 free throw attempts, a 66.7% average from the charity stripe.
SLU's next chance to end the current three-game skid will be on Saturday in the battle of the Lions of the Southland when Texas A&M-Commerce comes to Hammond for the second of Southeastern's current three-game homestand. Tip-off of Saturday's contest against the A&M-Commerce Lions (6-10, 0-3 SLC) is set for 3:30 p.m. inside the Pride Roofing University Center. Saturday's Battle of the Lions will be live streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard, thanks to the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, on 90.9 FM The Lion in the Hammond/Ponchatoula area and worldwide at LionSports.net/ListenLive or LionUpRadio.org, or on smart devices through the Lions Gameday Experience app, the TuneIn Radio app, or the MyTuner Radio app. Live stats will also be available at lionsports.net.
Saturday's game against A&M-Commerce will also be the
David Kiefer Basketball Camp Reunion Game where all campers who took part in Coach Kiefer's Basketball Camps are invited to come watch the Lions play, be part of the run-out tunnel, and be recognized at halftime as a camper.
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.
