NATCHITOCHES, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team closed out week four of league play with a 66-57 victory over Northwestern State Saturday afternoon in the Prather Coliseum.
Junior guard
Allasia Washington (19 points) boosted to Southeastern (14-3, 8-0 SLC) ending its four-game road stretch with a career high, shooting six-of-nine from the field, two-of-three from the three-point line and five-of-eight from the free throw line. Washington finished the game with an exceptional performance on both ends of the court versus Northwestern State (8-8, 5-2 SLC), also leading the Lady Lions with three steals.
Alexius Horne (16 points) followed up with another game in double figures, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the stripe to aid the Lady Lions in tying its longest winning streak in conference play under head coach
Ayla Guzzardo.
Jalencia Pierre contributed 10 points with four rebounds in the road win, finishing four-of-six from the field and two-of-two from the stripe.
Cheyanne Daniels led the team on the boards with five rebounds alongside
Avari Berry who dished out four assists in the contest.
Southeastern finished with a 16-8-point advantage in the second quarter over Northwestern State to improve to 8-0 on the road. The Lady Lions gained 30 points in the paint while its bench showed out with 33 points to fuel the second half.
Both teams came out to a strong start as SLU battled with the Lady Demons in the opening minutes to try and gain an early advantage on the road. Vernell Atamah (21 points) went to work early for Northwestern State to secure the first four points, being aggressive in the paint. Southeastern stuck to its principles, gaining 10 points in the paint while also obtaining five points off the Lady Demon's seven turnovers in the first quarter. The Lady Lions pulled ahead as Northwestern State fell into a scoring drought late in the quarter to end with a 16-10-point lead.
The Lady Demons came hot from behind the arch in the opening of the second quarter with a three-pointer from Sharna Ayres (three points), but Southeastern continued to extend its lead with a 12-point scoring run midway in the second quarter. Northwestern State went cold the remainder of the quarter to only chip in six points as SLU took advantage and dominated in the paint, shooting 63.6 percent from the field. Southeastern's bench also came alive to chip in 13 points to extend its lead to 18-points before halftime, 34-16.
Northwestern returned from the halftime break with a different mentality and came out rolling in the third quarter. Mya Blake (20 points) carried the Lady Demons on her back, scoring 10 points in the third quarter alone. Northwestern State scored back-to-back buckets as the scoring drought fell upon Southeastern with only 12 points in the quarter. The Lady Demons protected the rim with multiple blocks while gaining eight points off turnovers and 14-points in the paint. SLU worked to maintain its lead, but Northwestern State quickly cut into the deficit with its tide of momentum, shooting 63.6 percent from the field. The Lady Lions secured a couple buckets at the end of the quarter to once again pull ahead and the end the third quarter up, 46-39.
Both teams stepped into the fourth quarter with a chip on their shoulder, battling to gain the favor of momentum. Southeastern went on an eight-point scoring run midway in the fourth quarter, but Northwestern State would not go away in hopes of defeating the top team in the conference. The Lady Demons worked to formulate a lead of its own fueled by Atamah and Blake, but their efforts could not stop the Lady Lions. SLU gained the advantage with multiple crucial defensive stops as Blake fouled out the game late in the quarter. With one offensive threat out of the game, Southeastern escaped with a win shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the free throw line.
The Lady Lions will return to Hammond, America for a four-game home stretch throughout week five and six of league play. Southeastern will face HCU Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. in the University Center. Thursday's game will be televised on ESPN+.
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.
