HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team solidified its position as the lone undefeated team in the conference with a 60-48 victory over Lamar Thursday evening in the University Center.
Junior guard
Jalencia Pierre (11 points) helped Southeastern (17-3, 11-0 SLC) to protect its home court over Lamar (14-5, 9-1 SLC), shooting five-of-13 from the field. The playmaker finished the game with six assists and six rebounds to fuel the momentum for the Lady Lions to stand 11-0 in league play.
Veteran
Alexius Horne (11 points) secured her 17
th game double figures to achieve 1,000 career points going into the fourth quarter, shooting four-of-11 from the field, one-of-two from behind the arch and two-of-four from the free throw line. The Baton Rouge, La. claimed four steals, four rebounds and three assists. Nicholls transfer
Lexi Alexander (four points) also reached 1,000 career points alongside Horne in the first quarter of the contest. Horne and Alexander are the first two Lady Lions in program history to earn 1,000 career points in the same game.
Cheyanne Daniels (10 points) followed up in double digit scoring with six rebounds, shooting four-of-six from the field and two-of-two from the charity stripe. Daniels tied her career high with three blocks against the Cardinals.
Allasia Washington also tied with 10 points as the junior fueled a spark of momentum off the bench as the last Lady Lion in double figures. Washington ended the rivalry game shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the three-point line, and 75.0 percent from the stripe.
In the win to remain undefeated at home, Southeastern dominated over the Cardinals earning 36 points in the paint, 24 points off turnovers and 19 fast break points.
SLU came out to a hot start in the opening minutes of the game, but Lamar quickly recovered as both teams went back and forth in the highly anticipated matchup. Pierre took over early in the first quarter with seven points, weaving through the Cardinals' defense. Lamar turned the tide of momentum late in the quarter as NJ Weems (15 points) carried the team and led all scorers. Weems scored from all three levels, shooting five-of-ten from the field, two-of-three from the three-point line and three-of-five from the free throw line. The Cardinals were able to battle back at the end of the first quarter off a ten-point scoring run to equalize the game, 14-14.
Lamar fought to take the lead early in the second quarter as other major contributors for the Cardinals stepped up to gain a three-point lead. Justice Ross (six points) caused problems for SLU as her jumpers sparked a run for Lamar. The Lady Lions banded together with balanced scoring to counter with an eight-point scoring run.
Arianna Patton (eight points) stepped up from around the field, draining a corner three to put Southeastern up by three to end the first half, 27-24.
The Lady Lions returned from halftime with a dominant third quarter as it caused havoc for the Cardinals to force the visitors into five turnovers. Southeastern gained a 21-10-point advantage in the quarter as the team developed a 10-0 scoring run in the opening minutes of the game. Lamar was smothered for five minutes as SLU disrupted every offensive opportunity the Cardinals worked to execute.
Taylor Bell (six points) came alive in the third quarter to showcase a solid performance at home, shooting three-of-seven from the field. Southeastern extended its lead in the third quarter with a 16-4-point edge with eight points off turnovers. The Lady Lions ended the third quarter shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 100.0 percent from the three-point line with a 48-41-point lead.
Southeastern continued to exploit the Cardinals in the fourth quarter as its lead grew late in the fourth quarter. Sabria Dean (eight points) and Akasha Davis (10 points) battled to bring the game within reach, but the Lady Lions continued to intensify their defensive pressure. Lamar fought to win the quarter with a 14-12-point advantage, but it would come too late as SLU sealed the deal by gaining seven points off turnovers and six points off fast break. The Cardinals could not contain the Lady Lions in transition to close the game with a commanding victory, 60-48.
The Lady Lions will return to the University Center to face New Orleans Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the second half of conference play. Saturday's game will be streamed 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.
