LINCOLN, Neb. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team fell 78-68 against No. 23 Nebraska in a hard-fought road test Saturday afternoon in Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Southeastern (1-1) came out to a solid start and gained the upper hand in the first two quarters, but could not contain Nebraska's (2-0) fourth quarter surge as the Huskers secured the win. Senior guard
Alexius Horne carried the Lady Lions with a phenomenal performance of 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists in its tough road test. Horne led both teams in scoring with a season high. Nicholls transfer
Lexi Alexander (14 points) also followed up with double-digit scoring and tied with Horne to lead the team with seven rebounds.
Jalencia Pierre contributed six points, shooting 3-6 from the field and led Southeastern with three steals.
SLU set the tone of the game in the opening minutes of the first quarter to gain some early momentum on the road. Alexander was a spark off the bench as the Lady Lions gained its best five-point scoring run late in the quarter. Nebraska recovered from Southeastern's early intensity in the game, finding its rhythm midway in the first quarter shooting 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 5-12 from the field. The Lady Lions weathered the Huskers late scoring run to close the quarter with a 18-15-point advantage.
The Lady Lions continued to extend their momentum in the second quarter with a quick two-point conversion by Horne in the opening minutes. Southeastern tightened up its defense and forced the Huskers to shoot from behind the arch to limit points in the paint. Nebraska settled in and began to convert on its three-point shots as Alberte Rimdal (14 points) shot 3-6 from beyond the arch and 5-8 from the field.
Cheyanne Daniels (nine points) worked in the paint to aid SLU in its 37-31-point lead going into halftime.
The Huskers returned from the break with a different intensity. Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts (17 points) went on a five-point scoring stretch to cut into the deficit and bring Nebraska within four points early in the quarter, 40-36. The Huskers continued to chip away at the Lady Lions' lead as Nebraska connected on nine three-pointers in the third quarter alone led by Potts and Logan Nissley (14 points). Horne quickly turned the tide of momentum back in Southeastern's favor with an eight-point scoring run to extend the team's lead 57-54 to end the third quarter.
SLU continued to work within the paint as Daniels made her presence known in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions moved the ball well to secure six points in the paint and five points off second chance opportunities. The Huskers continued to rely on their three-point shooting to keep them within reach as they gained a 24-11-point advantage in the fourth quarter. Nebraska gained multiple points at the charity stripe midway in the quarter to take the lead. Though Southeastern continued to showcase immense effort, the Lady Lions could not come back from Nebraska's scoring run late in the game. Four Huskers closed out the game in double-digit scoring to finish shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 14-29 from the three-point line.
Southeastern ended the contest securing 29-points off Nebraska's 15 turnovers and 10-points in transition. The Lady Lions gained a dominant 40-24-point advantage over the Huskers in the paint and nine points off second chance opportunities. SLU finished shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arch in its first road battle of the season against a ranked opponent.
The Lady Lions will return to Hammond, America to play Southern Miss Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. Friday's game will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans are encouraged to come out and support for Veterans Day as Southeastern honors the brave men and women who have served for our country. All veterans and active military will receive free admission.
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, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.
