HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team returns to action against conference rival Lamar in the Pride Roofing University Center Thursday evening at 6 p.m.
 
The rematch between Southeastern (15-8, 11-1 SLC) and Lamar (16-5, 10-1 SLC) opens the week. SLU will end week seven of conference play Saturday afternoon against HCU (6-17, 1-11 SLC) for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
 
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 are 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 achieved its best conference record in program history after defeating Northwestern State 59-51 on the road last Saturday to press on to 11-1 in league play. The Lady Lions remain at the top of the conference and have defended their home court in conference play to stand 5-0 at home.
 
In the victory over Northwestern State, Southeastern persevered in the second half of the contest sparked by junior Taylor Bell (15 points) with nine rebounds and five steals. Hailey Giaratano (12 points), Jalencia Pierre (11 points) and Allasia Washington (10 points) also contributed double digit scoring to help SLU continue its four-game winning streak.
 
The Lady Lions tied their season high of 42 points in the paint in last Saturday's win.
Southeastern has continued to lean on its bench production that has achieved double-digit scoring in every conference game this season.
 
SLU is looking to defend its position in the league led by Giaratano with 12.6 points per game, followed by Bell (10.0 ppg), Cheyanne Daniels (9.3 ppg), Pierre (8.8 ppg), and key reserve Washington (7.0 ppg). Giaratano (2.96 apg) and Pierre (2.68 apg) are a dynamic duo for Southeastern in terms of playmaking, ranking among the top ten in the conference in assists. Bell (2.0 spg) ranks second in the conference in steals with 42 steals this season. Southeastern continues to lead the league in field goal percentage defense (34.8) and turnover margin (+4.17).
 
Lamar finished 2-0 in week six after defeating UIW 72-68 then gaining a 70-44 win over Nicholls. Lamar averages 65.8 points per game led by junior forward Akasha Davis (15.2 ppg) who leads the conference in scoring, rebounding (10.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (60.8). Senior guard Sabria Dean (14.5 ppg) is another top contributor for the Cardinals ranked among the top five scorers in the conference while also leading free throw percentage (89.7). Lamar leads the conference in field goal percentage (42.4), rebounding defense (31.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.00). In the last matchup versus the Cardinals, Southeastern suffered its only loss in conference play falling 59-45 on the road. Davis finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds followed up by Dean who added 11 points and 13 rebounds to both secure double-doubles. Brooklyn Mitchell also contributed 10 points shooting 3-4 from the field and 66.7 percent from the three-point line.
 
HCU went 1-1 last week after securing its first conference win over McNeese before falling 67-40 to UIW at home. HCU averages 54.1 points per game led by senior forward N'Denasija Collins with 14.3 points per game and 7.5 rebounds. Collins leads the conference in defensive rebounds (6.18), the Huskies also heavily rely on Kennedy Wilson (10.9 ppg) Enya Maguire (7.8 ppg) and Amy Cotton (5.9 ppg). HCU leads the conference in blocked shots (4.39) led by sophomore Yasmin Butler averaging 2.2 blocks a game.
 
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on 90.9 The Lion. Thursday's game will honor sophomore Jalencia Pierre (Feb. 15) and junior Taylor Bell (Feb. 17) as the Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring the players courtesy of PRIDE. During halftime of Thursday's matchup, the Lady Lions are calling all Greeks to participate in a halftime performance. Saturday's game, sponsored by Tangi Tourism, welcomes all dads and daughters to the Pride Roofing University Center to join in making a pregame tunnel for the Lady Lions. Discounted tickets will be offered to all daughters under the age of 15 with free admission.
 
Following Saturday's game, Southeastern will remain at home for its last conference matchup in the Pride Roofing University this season to take on New Orleans for Senior Day Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. Lady Lion seniors for the 2023-24 class will be honored during halftime of the doubleheader.
 
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.