HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team returns to the Pride Roofing University Center Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. to compete against the New Orleans Privateers.
 
The rematch between Southeastern (16-9, 12-2 SLC) and UNO (10-15, 7-7 SLC) closes the week as both teams had a bye game. Saturday's game 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 gained its conference record of 12-2 last week after falling 67-60 to Lamar at home before bouncing back with a 60-40 victory over HCU to end week seven of league play. The Lady Lions stand second in the conference with an even split between two road and home games left in the season.
 
In the 20-point win over HCU, Southeastern controlled the entire game with a dominant 18-9-point advantage in the third quarter to continue extending its lead over the Huskies. Two Lady Lions finished in double digit scoring as graduate transfer Kennedy Paul (22 points) posted a season high shooting 10-16 from the field alongside Taylor Bell (11 points) who shot 55.5 percent as a spark off the bench. Arianna Patton (nine points) fueled Southeastern with energy in the second half finishing 3-5 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. Mackenzie Thomas and Allasia Washington led SLU on the boards tied with six rebounds while Jalencia Pierre led the team with four assists
 
The Lady Lions gained 30-points in the paint as key reserves chipped in 37 points off the bench. SLU has continued to lean on its bench production this season that produced
61.7 percent of Southeastern's points against HCU last Saturday.
 
SLU is seeking to build its winning streak for the remainder of conference play led by Hailey Giaratano with 12.2 points per game, followed by Bell (10.0 ppg), Cheyanne Daniels (9.1 ppg), Pierre (8.5 ppg), and key reserve Washington (6.9 ppg). Giaratano (2.80 apg) and Pierre (2.75 apg) are a dynamic duo for Southeastern in terms of playmaking, with a combined 136 assists so far this season. Bell (2.04 spg) ranks second in the conference in steals with 47 steals this season. Concluding week seven, Southeastern leads the conference in scoring defense (56.88) and remains in top rank of field goal percentage defense (34.8) and turnover margin (+4.17) for another consecutive week.
 
New Orleans finished 1-1 in week seven after defeating Nicholls 80-78 then dropping 63-60 to Lamar at home. The Privateers average 61.4 points per game led by senior guard DeArica Pyror (13.8 ppg) who ranks sixth in the conference in scoring, steals (1.83 spg) and 3-point field goal made (1.65). Pryor effectively shoots 82.1 percent from the stripe, but is not the only weapon for UNO as Jayla Kimbrough (10.5 ppg) is also another key contributor to the team. Alexis Calderon and Nora Francois tie with 9.1 points per game as Calderon (2.68 spg) leads the conference in steals. Redshirt senior Justice Ross also ranks second in the league in blocked shots collecting 28 this season.
 
In the last matchup versus the Privateers, Southeastern persevered in the back-and-forth matchup with a 16-2-point advantage in the fourth quarter to secure the win on the road. Kimborough finished with a solid performance of 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss followed by Nahja Scott with eight points and five rebounds. The Lady Lions forced UNO into 16 turnovers and limited second chance opportunities to hold the Privateers to shooting 29.1 percent from the field in the matchup. Patton (12 points) led Southeastern in shooting 71.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the three-point line. Giaratano (11 points) also contributed double digit scoring for the Lady Lions while dishing out four assists in the game.
 
Saturday's matchup, sponsored by First Guaranty Bank, will honor seniors Dijone' Flowers, Hailey Giaratano, Daija Harvey and Kennedy Paul for Senior Day as they will be honored during halftime of the double-header.  Lady Lions fans are encouraged to stay to welcome a new class of Lions for Life and thank them for their time in Hammond, America. The Pride Roofing University Center is offering free admission to the Hammond community to support the double-header Saturday afternoon. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
 
Following Saturday's game, Southeastern will be on the road for week nine of conference play to take on UIW Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Lions will move on to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi March 2 at 1 p.m.
 
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.