WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team secured its first program victory over Gardner-Webb with a 76-68 win Friday afternoon in the Trask Coliseum at the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic.
Southeastern (2-5) produced a dominant second-half surge, outscoring Gardner-Webb (0-8) 51–33, to clinch its second win of the 2025-26 season. Pacific transfer Seth Jones led the charge in the comeback, recording a season high 18 points and three steals. Jones finished with two clutch shots from behind the arc and a steady 85.7 percent showing from the charity stripe against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Sophomore Makhi Myles followed with a season-high 13 points off the bench, shooting 3-6 from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line.
Fifth-year senior Ethan Pickett also closed out the game with a season-high 10 points, five assists and three rebounds, shooting 5-8 from the field to contribute in the win. Isaiah Gaines (nine points) stepped up to lead Southeastern on the glass with a season-high nine rebounds, four assists and two steals over Gardner-Webb.
Gardner-Webb came out to a hot start, knocking down four three-pointers in the first half and capitalizing on SLU's offensive woes. Junior guard Ace Talbert (15 points) carried the Runnin' Bulldogs, shooting 6-10 from the field and 3-6 from the three-point line. Gardner-Webb worked to gain the early advantage as junior Curtis Williams (10 points) also helped build a double-digit lead in the first half, while Jacob Hudson dropped 13 points off the bench.
The Lions struggled from the perimeter early, shooting 1-18 from the three-point line to trail 35-25 to close out the first half. Southeastern battled to create scoring opportunities in transition and forced Gardner-Webb into seven turnovers in the half, but could not capitalize.
Returning from the halftime break, SLU wasted little time initiating its comeback as it cut the deficit to single-digits within the opening five minutes of the second half, 38-30. Back-to-back finishes in the paint from Pickett and Gaines, followed by a three-pointer from Jaiden Lawrence, fueled the scoring run for Southeastern to turn the tide of momentum, 39-32. The Lions defense turned up its pressure as they forced Gardner-Webb into 11 turnovers in the second half, gaining 10 fast break points.
Jones caught fire from downtown as Myles also connected on a critical three-pointer to give SLU its first extended lead of the half, 53-49. Jalen Forrest chipped in eight points off the bench to help Southeastern maintain control midway through the second half.
The Lions energy on the offensive glass also provided a spark of momentum as Gaines, Jeremy Elyzee (five points) and Kyle Edison (four points) combined for seven second-chance points. Elyzee bounced back in the second half after sitting majority of the first half due to foul trouble with a momentum-shifting putback dunk that stretched SLU's advantage to nine, 64-55, with five minutes remaining in the contest.
Gardner-Webb fought to chip away at its deficit with a corner three-pointer from Colin Hawkins (nine points), but the Lions remained poised to close out with the victory. SLU produced a 32–22 advantage in paint points and a 15–2 edge in second-half fast-break scoring against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Southeastern's reserves put together quality minutes to contribute 49 points as the green and gold also forced Gardner-Webb into 21 turnovers to claim a season-high 14 steals. The Lions ended the game shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from the three-point line and 72.0 percent from the line.
SLU will move forward to close out its last game of Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic against Navy Saturday at 11 a.m. Central. All participating games in the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic will be streamed on FloCollege.
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.
