CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The reigning Southland Conference champions Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team suffers its fourth loss in conference play after falling 79-73 in overtime to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the American Bank Center Saturday afternoon.
Hailey Giaratano (15 points) led Southeastern (17-11, 13-4 SLC) in double-digit scoring shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line to force the game into overtime. Junior
Taylor Bell (11 points) followed up with seven rebounds to lead the team after contributing another spark off the bench for the Lady Lions in the second half against A&M-Corpus Christi (20-8, 13-4 SLC).
SLU trailed the majority of the game after A&M-Corpus Christi came out to the 19-9-point scoring run in the first quarter to control the momentum early in the contest. The Islanders capitalized on 19 points off turnovers and 15 points off second chance opportunities to secure their two-game winning streak at home.
The Lady Lions fought back to counter in the second quarter with three made three-point attempts fueled by
Daija Harvey (nine points),
Dijone' Flowers and
Avari Berry tied with five points to ship away at the Islanders lead, 35-29. A&M-Corpus Christi withheld its lead in the third quarter as Southeastern persevered shooting 61.5 percent from the field. SLU also shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line to bring the game within three-points, 52-49. The Lady Lions attained its first lead midway into the fourth quarter benefitting off easy points at the free throw line, shooting 7-9 from the stripe. The Islanders weathered the storm with two quick buckets in the paint to retake the lead, 64-61.
Senior forward Nabaweeyah McGill (18 points) tied her career high off the bench for the Islanders shooting 6-9 from the field and 7-5 from the free throw line to finish the game. Paige Allen (16 points) led A&M-Corpus Christi with 10 rebounds to secure her fifth double-double this season. Three other Islanders finished the matchup in double figures as Mireia Aguado and Annukka Willstedt tied with 12 points. Aguado showcased her playmaking ability dishing out seven assists while Alecia Westbrook (10 points) followed up with nine rebounds, shooting 66.7 percent from the field to help A&M-Corpus Christi win the battle in paint points.
Giaratano regained the advantage for Southeastern, icing three crucial free throws after being fouled behind the arch to force the game into overtime. The Islanders remained composed and connected on two three-pointers to recapture the lead 72-68 late in overtime. SLU would chip in three more buckets, but A&M-Corpus Christi would extend its lead at the free throw line to claim the win.
The Lady Lions forced Texas A&M-Corpus Christi into 18 turnovers, but allowed the Islanders to balance the playing field obtaining 19 points off turnovers in return. Southeastern gained solid production from key reserves contributing 46 points in the game. SLU also earned a six-to-five-point advantage in fast break opportunities, but was unable to close out week nine with a victory on the road.
Southeastern will return to the Pride Roofing University Center in a rematch against Nicholls March 7 at 5:30 p.m. to close out conference play. Senior guard
Hailey Giaratano will be honored as the Spotlight Player of the Game in Saturday's matchup. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card of the senior, courtesy of PRIDE. Saturday's matchup will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard online at
www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.
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.
