HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team defeated the East Texas A&M Lions in the University Center Saturday, winning its first game of Southland Conference play, 76-71.
Southeastern (2-3) took a double-digit lead in the first quarter before East Texas A&M (2-3) kept things close. The Lady Lions broke free in the fourth quarter behind
Lihi Azouri's 29-point performance. Coach Jeff Dow spoke about the team's play Saturday, saying, "I thought we played really well. To go 19 of 23 from the free throw line, 7 of 12 from three, those numbers were outstanding."
Azouri was the highlight among all players in Saturday's game. The freshman filled up the scoreboard, collecting 29 points on an efficient 10-for-17 shooting, making five of seven shots beyond the arc. "[She is] obviously very talented, has the ability, of course, to get to the basket. She is a true, as they say, three-level scorer. She can get to the rim, she can shoot the pull-up, and she can obviously shoot threes as well," Dow said.
Eryn McKinzie was also a key player for the Lady Lions, totaling 14 points.
Aliyah Collins also scored in double figures, scoring 10 points behind 6-for-6 shooting at the free throw line. McKinzie and Azouri led the team in rebounding, gathering nine and seven boards, respectively, helping SLU outrebound ETAMU, 46-29.
Tiani Ellison paced East Texas A&M with 21 points, one of five double-digit scorers for the visitors. Ahmya Boyce had 13 points, while Reza Po, Nina Horvath, and Rezia Castillo notched 10 points each.
Ellison also led the team in rebounding, bringing in seven rebounds on the day. Horvath's two steals were the most by any player in the game, helping to force SLU's 20 turnovers.
The Lady Lions leaped out to a 16-6 lead at the midway point of the first quarter, behind seven points from Azouri. East Texas A&M made things interesting, though, cutting the deficit to three at halftime.
After ETAMU took a lead in the third quarter, 40-39, ten points from McKinzie, Azouri, and
Natalie Huff put the Lady Lions up by seven to start the fourth quarter. SLU closed the fourth quarter well, making all of its 11 free throws in the final frame and forcing the Lions to 4-for-31 from three-point range over the course of the game.
After a break, the Lady Lions will be back on the road on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when SLU visits Baylor, in Waco, Texas, at 7 p.m. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game on KSLU 90.9 The Lion, online at either
www.LionSports.net/listenlive or
www.LionUpRadio.org, via the following apps – Lions Gameday Experience, Live365, iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio - or on Alexa speakers (skill must be enabled first). All you have to say is, "Alexa, play K.S.L.U."
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X and Instagram or like /SoutheasternWBB on Facebook.
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.
