HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team gained a 66-42 victory over conference rival UIW Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
Three Lady Lions in double figures contributed balanced scoring to improve to 9-0 in conference play over UIW (10-8, 5-4 SLC), securing Southeastern's longest winning streak in league play under head coach
Ayla Guzzardo. Nicholls transfer
Lexi Alexander led all scorers with 13 points, nine rebounds and two steals to help SLU (15-3, 9-0 SLC) in the 24-point win. Alexander finished with a solid performance, shooting 83.3 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
Alexius Horne (11 points) helped Southeastern stay in control of the game, shooting four-of-nine from the field and three-of-four from the stripe. Horne secured five rebounds while dishing out two assists to defend the Lady Lions' home court. Junior
Allasia Washington (10 points) also showed out to produce a spark of momentum off the bench, shooting three-of-four from the field, two-of-three from behind the arch and two-of-two from the charity stripe.
Southeastern came out flat in the opening minutes of the game, but recovered midway in the first quarter due to its defensive pressure causing disruptions for UIW. The Cardinals continued to battle in the quarter to try and make a statement on the road, but the Lady Lions went on an eight-point scoring run to end the first quarter with a 16-11-point advantage.
SLU picked up its tempo in the second quarter as its bench continued to positively impact the game. Southeastern kept its foot on the gas as it became hot from the three-point line as
Arianna Patton (eight points) was able to drain a three-pointer while being fouled. As the Lady Lions momentum brewed, Washington and
Kaili Chamberlin (six points) knocked down back-to-back three-pointers from downtown to extend the lead. Sophomore Destiny Whitaker (11 points) came alive midway in the second quarter in hopes to cut into the deficit for the Cardinals. Whitaker finished five-of-eight from the field and one-of-two from the three-point line. Southeastern continued to pull ahead, gaining five points off turnovers and four points off second chance opportunities. UIW chipped in a few points late in the quarter, but SLU closed the first half with a 12-point lead.
The Lady Lions closed out the first half with a 32-20-point edge over the Cardinals going into halftime. Southeastern gained a 14-12-point advantage in paint points and a 15-7-point edge in bench points over UIW, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from the three-point line.
UIW Jorja Elliott (five points) came alive in the opening minutes of the third quarter to produce a short-lived boost of momentum. SLU quickly snuffed out the Cardinals momentum as its defense gained 10 points off UIW's seven turnovers in the quarter alone. Southeastern's strength in numbers contributed to its balanced scoring as it gained its best nine-point scoring run in the third quarter. The Cardinals worked to get things going offensively, but the Lady Lions limited every opportunity with a dominant 23-12-point advantage. SLU secured its biggest lead of the game to end the third quarter up 55-32.
Southeastern entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable cushion over UIW, but remained focused to seal the deal. Alexander claimed a scoring run being aggressive on the offensive boards to extend the Lady Lions' lead. SLU's defense smothered UIW as the Cardinals could not weather the storm to bring the game within reach. Southeastern closed the fourth quarter with an 11-10-point edge to secure its ninth win in league play, shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from the three-point line and 77.8 percent from the free throw line.
The Lady Lions will return to the University Center to face HCU Monday at 4 p.m. to begin the week. Monday's game will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans are encouraged to support the Lady Lions with the opportunity to purchase their favorite players' exclusive merch at
https://influxermerch.com/athletes/southeastern-louisiana-university/womens-basketball. Monday's game will honor junior
Lexi Alexander as the Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring the player courtesy of PRIDE.
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.
