COMMERCE, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team fended off East Texas A&M on the road with a 57-44 victory Thursday evening in the Field House.
Southeastern (13-3, 7-0 SLC) secured its eight-point win over East Texas A&M (4-11, 1-5 SLC) with a fourth quarter 19-9-point surge fueled by its bench production. The Lady Lions pressed on to 7-0 in conference play to maintain their position at the top of the league.
Senior
Taylor Bell led the charge for SLU with 10 points and three rebounds, shooting four-of-nine from the field and two-of-four from the free throw line.
Cheyanne Daniels followed up with nine points, three rebounds and two steals. Daniels finished four-of-six from the field and one-of-one from the charity stripe.
Alexius Horne and
Lexi Alexander tied to chip in eight points as Horne also dished out four assists. Alexander finished three-of-seven from the field and two-of-two from the free throw line while also tying with
Tyreona Sibley to lead the team on the boards with six rebounds.
The Lady Lions continue to make their presence known in the paint with a 40-16-point advantage over East Texas A&M. Southeastern also forced the Lions into 21 turnovers to gain 26 points off East Texas A&M's mistakes.
SLU came out to a slow start in the opening minutes of the game as East Texas A&M came out with confidence in hopes of defending their home court. The Lions limited Southeastern's opportunities in the paint and secured an early advantage shooting three-of-four from the field by Jasmine Payne (17 points). East Texas A&M continued to pull ahead as Payne and Jordyn Newsome (six points) carried the Lions in the first quarter to end with a 15-8-point edge.
Southeastern recovered in the second quarter as the squad worked to gain quick points in transition. Both teams continued to go back-and-forth as the Lady Lions capitalized off the Lions eight turnovers with 11 points in the second quarter alone. East Texas A&M closed out the quarter shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the three-point line. SLU remained aggressive and added in eight points at the free throw, shooting 100.0 percent from the stripe to close the first half. Southeastern ended the first half with a one-point lead, 28-27.
East Texas A&M returned from halftime with a burst of energy as the Lions capitalized off back-to-back buckets to reclaim their lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Nykesha Sanders (12 points) came alive early in the quarter to produce a spark of momentum showcasing her playmaking abilities with four assists and five rebounds. Sanders finished five-of-eight from the field and two-of-four from the three-point line for the Lions. Southeastern's bench stepped up big late in the third quarter with a late six-point run to secure a 38-35-point lead.
SLU's bench continued to extend its lead early in the quarter as the tide of momentum turned in Southeastern's favor.
Avari Berry (seven points) contributed a spark early in the fourth quarter, shooting three-of-five from the field and a huge three-point conversion. East Texas A&M continued to battle to weather the storm, but the Lady Lions turned up their defensive pressure to force the Lions into five crucial turnovers.
Kaili Chamberlin also added in six points for SLU, shooting 75.0 percent from the field and playing in transition. The Lions worked to cut into the deficit, but Southeastern pulled ahead with all the momentum late in the game with 12 points in the paint. SLU was able to hold its lead with a dominant 19-9-point fourth quarter to remain undefeated in league play.
The Lady Lions' bench obtained 25 points while securing 20 points off fast break opportunities. Southeastern ended the game shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
SLU will remain on the road to face Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Prather Coliseum. 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.
