HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team will continue its non-conference slate in Wilmington, N.C. with three matchups in the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic over the Thanksgiving break.

Southeastern (1-4) will face UNCW (4-1) Wednesday at 6 p.m. Central time in the Trask Coliseum. The matchup between SLU and UNCW will be the second game of the opening day of the classic.

The Lions will move forward against Gardner-Webb (0-6) Friday at 11 a.m. before closing out the week against Navy (3-3) Saturday at 11 a.m. All games throughout the classic will be streamed on FloCollege and can be accessed on the men's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net along with live stats, provided by the hosts. All three games can also be heard 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."

SLU secured its first win of the season with a 71-45 victory over William Carey at home. The Lions held the Crusaders to the fewest points allowed under head coach David Kiefer, since 2017 as they defeated Nicholls 72-44. Pacific transfer Seth Jones led all scorers with a season-high 14 points and four steals against William Carey, shooting 5-11 from the field and 4-9 from the three-point line. 

Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee recorded his fourth consecutive game in double-figures, securing 11 points with four assists. Elyzee finished 5-5 from the field as Isaiah Gaines and Makhi Myles also contributed nine points and seven rebounds apiece to lead the Lions on the glass. Southeastern claimed a season-high in field goals made (28), rebounds (45), assists (20) and blocked shots (5) against the Crusaders.

The Lions are seeking to compound their momentum on the road led by Elyzee with 10.4 points per game and 3.2 assists. Jalen Forrest adds 10.0 points per game alongside Southeastern's other major contributors in Jones (9.7 ppg), Jaiden Lawrence (9.4 ppg), and Gaines (7.6 ppg). SLU continues to cause havoc as they've forced opponents into 15.6 turnovers per contest to capitalize on 14.2 points per game.

UNCW extended its three-game winning streak after a 81-73 victory over Radford on the road. Five Seahawks finished in double-figures led by senior Nolan Hodge with 18 points and seven rebounds. UNCW gained 40 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers against Radford to contribute to its win. The Seahawks are led by Hodge averaging 16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Madison Durr (12.2 ppg) and Patrick Wessler (12.0 ppg) are also heavily relied on as Wessler leads the team in rebounds (8.4 rpg). Christian May (11.4 ppg) and Williams Greedy (11.2 ppg) are also key to UNCW's success this season alongside Noah Ross (10.4 ppg).

Gardner-Webb is seeking its first win of the season after dropping its last six consecutive contests. The Bulldogs suffered a 102-67 loss to Richmond this past week as Spence Sims finished with a season-high 17 points, shooting 6-11 from the field and 5-9 from behind the arc. DJ Jefferson also ended the game in double-figures with 11 points in the road effort. Sophomore Jacob Hudson leads Gardner-Webb with 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, finishing four-of-six games in double-digits. Sims is another key factor for the Bulldogs, averaging 10.0 points per game while Jacob Hogarth (9.7 ppg) leads the team on the boards with 5.5 rebounds.

Navy split 1-1 last week with a 73-61 loss to North Carolina before securing a 86-70 victory over NJIT. Aidan Kehoe led the charge against NJIT with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four assists alongside four other Mids in double-figures. Navy finished the game shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from the three-point line and 72.2 percent from the free throw line. Junior Jinwoo Kim leads the Mids with 14.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds. Senior Austin Benigni is also a major contributor for Navy, averaging 14.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. 

Concluding Saturday's game, SLU will open Southland Conference play against Northwestern State Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3:30 in the University Center. Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+.

HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB

Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.  All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics 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 is implementing 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.