HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team returns to action in a rematch against UIW in the McDermott Center Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m.
 
The game between Southeastern (17-9, 13-2 SLC) and UIW (17-9, 10-5 SLC) opens the week. SLU will conclude week nine of conference play Saturday afternoon against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (18-8, 11-4 SLC) for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
 
Both games will be on ESPN+ and Thursday's matchup 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.
 
Southeastern progressed to 13-2 in league play after defeating UNO 69-66 in overtime to defend its home court. The Lady Lions have held a 7-1 conference record when at home this season.
 
In the victory over the Privateers, Southeastern took care of business in the overtime contest sparked by sophomore Allasia Washington (17 points) with five rebounds off the bench. Kennedy Paul (13 points), Arianna Patton (11 points) and Hailey Giaratano (10 points) also contributed double digit scoring to help SLU continue its two-game winning streak. The Lady Lions received 34 points from its bench in last Saturday's win that has maintained double-digit scoring in every conference game this season.
 
SLU is looking to go 2-0 on the road this week led by Giaratano with 12.2 points per game, followed by Taylor Bell (9.5 ppg), Cheyanne Daniels (9.0 ppg), Pierre (8.4 ppg), and key reserve Washington (7.3 ppg). Giaratano (2.88 apg) and Pierre (2.84 apg) combined for 10 assists in the last game and are among the top ten in the conference in assists. Bell (2.0 spg) ranks fourth in the conference in steals with 47 steals this season. Southeastern continues to lead the league in field goal percentage defense (34.8) and turnover margin (+4.27). The Lady Lions have risen to second in the conference in field goal percentage (39.7) and defensive rebounds per game (27.81) in week nine.
 
UIW finished 2-0 to continue its five-game winning streak after defeating Nicholls 52-47 before beating McNeese 61-48 on the road. UIW averages 63.2 points per game led by sophomore guard Aliyah Collins (13.1 ppg) who has contributed 18 games in double figures for the Cardinals. Senior guard Nina De Leon Negron (10.6 ppg) is another top contributor for the Cardinals that leads the conference in assists (3.28 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.64). UIW ranks among the top five in the league in scoring margin (+6.58), rebounding margin (+3.85) and rebounding defense (34.08). In the last matchup versus the Cardinals, UIW brought the game down to the wire with five players in double figures led by Collins and De Leon Negron tied with 22 points. Chloe Storer followed up with 12 points alongside Jorja Elliott and Myra Bell tied with 10 points to end the contest.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 1-1 last week after securing a 68-42 victory over HCU before falling 68-63 to Lamar on the road. A&M-Corpus Christi averages 66.6 points per game led by senior forward Alecia Westbrook with 11.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. Westbrook is among the top scorers in the conference and ranks second in the league in rebounding. Westbrook is not the only weapon for the Islanders as senior Mireia Aguado (10.3 ppg), Torie Sevier (9.6 ppg) and Paige Allen (9.1 ppg) are also key contributors for A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders lead the conference in scoring margin (+9.77), rebounding offense (40.65) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (25.6). Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is ranked third in conference standings as the team also leads in assists (14.46) and steals (11.50). In the last matchup against Islanders, Southeastern finished with a three-point win at home as Westbrook carried A&M-Corpus Christi with 16 points and11 rebounds to earn a double-double to end the game.
 
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and Thursday's matchup can be heard on 90.9 The Lion. Concluding Saturday's game, Southeastern will return home for its last conference game of the season against Nicholls March 7 at 5:30 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.