OXFORD, Miss. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team suffered a 88-58 loss to Ole Miss Monday night on the road in its season opener.
SLU (0-1) fell to Ole Miss (1-0) in its first non-conference game of the season after a 17-point scoring run by the hosts at the end of the first half to carry all the momentum the remainder of the contest. Junior guard Jaiden Lawrence stepped up for Southeastern to lead the team with 15 points alongside Makhi Myles with 10 points. Fifth-year transfer Isaiah Gaines led the Lions on the boards with five rebounds while Peter Hemshemeier dished out three assists.
Southeastern came out to a hot start against the Rebels in the opening minutes of the first half with a five point scoring run to stun the hosts. Hemschemeier sparked SLU's momentum with a long-range three-pointer as the visitors worked to make a statement early against Ole Miss. The Lions remained aggressive to hold their lead until the 11th minute of the first half as the Rebels gained their first lead, 14-12.
Both teams went back and forth to claim the tide of momentum in their favor as Lawrence continued to carry SLU throughout the first half. Ole Miss regrouped late in the first half after weathering Southeastern's defensive pressure. Malik Dia proved to be a problem in the paint to lead all scorers with 20 points, four rebounds and two steals. The Lions held their own for the majority of the first half with Myles, Kyle Edison and CJ Booker, tied with seven points, providing a spark off the bench.
The Rebels turned up their intensity in the final minutes of the first half with a 17-point scoring, charged by Dia and Kansas transfer AJ Storr (18 points). SLU battled to tie with 14 paint points alongside Ole Miss, but could not contain the hosts on the boards with an 8-5 advantage in second chance points. The Rebels pulled away to claim a 45-29 edge over Southeastern to close out the first half.
Ole Miss returned from the halftime break with the same level of intensity as it worked to widen the deficit for Southeastern. Illias Karmardine (13 points) came out the gate in the second half with all the momentum for the Rebels while dishing out four assists. SLU fell into foul trouble to cut its aggressive nature midway in the second half as Ole Miss continued to compound its lead.
As the Lions worked to weather the storm, the Rebels remained in control the entirety of the second half. Ole Miss secured a 43-29 scoring advantage over Southeastern to close out the second half. The Rebels finished the game with a 34-20 advantage in paint points and 14-4 point edge in fast break opportunities. The Lions closed out the game shooting 34.0 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from behind the arc and 60.0 percent from the charity stripe.
SLU will continue on the road to face UL-Lafayette Friday at 7:30 p.m. Friday's game against the Ragin' Cajuns 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.
