CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team gained its fifth non-conference on day two of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament with a 63-52 victory over Charlotte in the Watsco Center Sunday afternoon.
Southeastern (5-2) bounced back on the road with a second half surge after a slow start in the opening minutes of the game against Charlotte (3-5). SLU finished with three players in double-digit scoring fueled by senior
Taylor Bell who led all scorers with 15 points and six rebounds. Bell earned her fourth game in double figures over the 49ers.
Junior
Jalencia Pierre followed up with a season high 13 points, six assists and five steals, shooting 4-10 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. Freshman
Tyreona Sibley collected a career high 11 points as a spark plug off the bench for Southeastern, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe. Nicholls transfer
Lexi Alexander and Bell tied to lead the Lady Lions with six rebounds.
Charlotte came out to a solid start with a 11-4 run for its biggest lead of the game, but Southeastern recovered to retake control of the contest late in the first quarter. SLU's bench contributed quality minutes in the matchup as
Kaili Chamberlin (eight points) scored the first three-pointer for the Lady Lions to gain a spark of momentum, ending the quarter 13-11.
SLU continued to pull ahead early in the second quarter as its defense charged its offense effort, forcing the 49ers into eight turnovers. As Bell and Sibley continued their aggression from the first quarter, Southeastern gained 10 points in the paint and 11-0 edge in points off turnovers. Charlotte worked to stay within reach at the charity stripe shooting 90.0 percent to cut into the deficit. Keanna Rembert (13 points) carried Charlotte and became a problem in the paint. The Lady Lions continued to heavily rely on its bench as it contributed 14 points in the second quarter alone to close out the first half up 29-22.
Southeastern compounds its lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter as Pierre spearheaded the Lady Lions' defense with back-to-back steals to convert in transition. Charlotte implemented full court pressure to quicken the pace of the game and secure points off SLU's turnovers. Southeastern worked to handle the pressure and limit
Charlotte's possessions forced the 49ers to shoot 33.3 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from the three-point line. The Lady Lions defense awarded Southeastern its largest 18-point lead late in the quarter with a 19-8-point advantage, 48-30.
The 49ers worked to attain a shift of momentum early in the fourth quarter as
Alexis Andrews (12 points) added in double figures for Charlotte, shooting 40.0 percent from the field and behind the arch. The 49ers secured a 23-14-point advantage and their best scoring run to win the fourth quarter, but could not catch up as the Lady Lions took care of business earlier in the game to hold on to their lead. Southeastern finished shooting 50.0 percent from three-point line and 90.0 percent from the free throw line to seal the deal on the road. SLU closed out the contest with 38 points in the paint, 36 bench points and 19 points off turnovers.
The Lady Lions will return to the University Center Thursday, Dec. 5 to face Spring Hill at 11 a.m. Thursday's game will be televised on ESPN+. Southeastern invites schools from around the area to bring their students for an unforgettable day of basketball to support the green and gold.
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.
