LAFAYETTE, La. The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team led for more than half of the game against Louisiana-Lafayette, but the Lions were held scoreless for the final 2:45 of the contest as the Ragin' Cajuns scored the final 10 points in a 68-61 loss Wednesday night at the Cajundome.
 
Southeastern (4-6) ended up hitting more field goals overall than UL-Lafayette (2-8), 23-22, but the Ragin' Cajuns made up for it by connecting from three-point range 10 times compared to just two made shots from distance for the Lions. SLU finished the contest hitting 43.4 percent from the field but just 14.3 percent from beyond the arc. UL-Lafayette ended the game hitting 40.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from long distance.
 
Sam Hines, Jr. finished the night with 22 points, tying the most points scored by a Lion in a game this season. He was nine-of-12 from the field and hit his lone three-point attempt while grabbing five rebounds, coming up with two steals, giving out an assist, and blocking a shot.
 
Jeremy Elyzee, who was the only other Lion with 22 points in a game this season, ended Wednesday's game with 11 points, going four-of-eight from the field while getting four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist.
 
Jakevion Buckley and Brody Rowbury both finished with six points. Buckley's scoring output came with a team-high five assists. Rowbury added a team-high six rebounds to go with his six points.
 
Southeastern did not trail during the game's opening half as the Lions controlled much of the action throughout the first 20 minutes of the contest. With the game tied at 4-4, Buckley found Thomas Tut rolling to the rim for a lay-up with 16 minutes left to give SLU a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the period. A three-pointer by Kam Burton followed as the Lions jumped out to a 9-4 lead five minutes into the contest.
 
Leading 17-12 with 12:15 left, Elyzee's jumper in the lane went down, starting a 7-0 Southeastern run. Asher Boney poked the ball away from a Cajun player, which Ahmed Essahaty picked up and raced down the floor. His lay-up attempt came off the rim, but Elyzee was there to clean it up with a put-back dunk to give the Lions its largest lead of the contest at 24-12 with 11 minutes to go before halftime. SLU held a 12-point lead twice more in the first half, the final time at 31-19 as Buckley got to the rim and scored with 6:20 to go to the break.
 
That's where UL-Lafayette started to get back into the contest, going on a 12-2 run to cut the Lion lead down to just a pair at 33-31 with a minute left in the period. Elyzee hit a pair of free throws to end the half's scoring, giving SLU a 35-31 lead at the break.
 
Elyzee's free throws at the end of the first half was the start of a 9-2 Southeastern run as SLU outscored UL-Lafayette 7-2 over the first two minutes of the second half. Buckley found Hines, Jr. alone underneath for a dunk which put the Lions up 42-33 with 18 minutes left in the contest.
 
That's where the three-pointers started falling for the Cajuns, allowing them to quickly make up the deficit. UL-Lafayette hit back-to-back threes to cut the Lion lead down to 42-39 before Hines, Jr. answered with one of his own to double the lead back to six points. But the Cajuns answered with another three-pointer and then a lay-up to make it a one-point game at 45-44 SLU with 15:15 left.
 
Hines, Jr., who had six points at halftime, couldn't be stopped through the opening minutes of the second half, willing the Lions to stay in front as he scored most of his remaining 16 points during the first 10 minutes of the second half. His lay-up with 14:55 left gave SLU a 47-44 lead.
 
UL-Lafayette took its first lead of the game two minutes later as a three-pointer tied the score at 47-47, and a lay-up put the Cajuns in front 49-47 with 12:55 to go. That capped a 16-5 Cajun run.
 
From that point on, there were six more ties and four more lead changes as neither team led by more than one possession for nearly the remainder of the contest. Southeastern appeared to be in good position with 2:45 left as Hines, Jr. worked his way into the paint and found Elyzee going to the rim for a lay-up and a 61-58 Southeastern lead.
 
However, that would be SLU's final points of the game as a three-pointer on UL-Lafayette's ensuing possession tied the score at 61-61, starting the 10-0 run which determined the contest. A three-pointer with 42.5 left gave the Cajuns the lead for good at 64-61. A pair of free throws and a dunk helped open the score for the final margin.
 
Southeastern will look to end the 10-game road trip on a positive note on Monday as the Lions head to north Louisiana for a date with Grambling State. Tip-off of Monday's contest against the Tigers (2-6) is set for 6 p.m. on Willis Reed Court at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Monday's game is set to be televised through YouTube on the Grambling State Athletics YouTube page. Live stats will also be available through the host institution.
 
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.
 
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