HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team suffered a tough 70-69 loss to East Texas A&M Monday evening in the University Center.
Southeastern (4-7, 1-2 SLC) fell by one-point in its second Southland Conference home game of the season as East Texas A&M (6-5, 1-1 SLC) capitalized on crucial mistakes down the stretch to secure the victory. The visitors gained 13 points off second chance opportunities while pulling away with a hard fought 37-36 scoring advantage in the second half.
Fifth-year senior Isaiah Gaines tied for the second time this season with a season-high 17 points and three blocks. Gaines stepped up for Southeastern to claim seven rebounds and three assists, finishing 7-16 from the field and 3-5 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee added 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, shooting 5-10 from the field and 5-6 from the charity stripe.
Junior Peter Hemschemeier finished with 13 points, knocking down three triples from behind the arc while C.J. Booker chipped in 10 points. Booker and Hemschemeier also tied with four assists as four Lions closed out the game in double-figures for the second consecutive time this season. Southeastern ended the game shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three-point range, and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Southeastern came out strong in the opening minutes, jumping out to a 13–4 lead early in the first half as Gaines and Elyzee dominated in the paint. SLU forced East Texas A&M into six early turnovers to control the tempo of the game. The green and gold built a game-high 10 point advantage midway through the first half to secure the momentum.
East Texas A&M responded with a series of fast-break scores to cut into the deficit with 13 points in transition, but SLU maintained its composure behind steady contributions from Booker and Hemschemeier. The contest tightened late in the half as East Texas A&M closed on a scoring run to end the first half deadlocked at 33–33. Southeastern shot 37.9 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the line in the first half while holding the visitors to 39.3 percent shooting.
Both teams turned up their intensity after returning from the halftime break as the second half consisted of multiple momentum swings. Ronnie Harrison and Vinny Sigona tied with 16 points as they carried the Lions in the second half to regain the lead, 41-37. Sigona finished the game 4-7 from the field, 4-7 from the three-point line and 4-4 from the free throw line to cause problems for Southeastern in the second half.
Neither team could pull away by more than eight points as East Texas A&M built its largest lead of the second half, 49-41 early in the second half. Southeastern responded with a 9–3 scoring run, 50-53, sparked by triples from Booker and Forrest. Elyzee also provided consistent interior production throughout the second half. The Lions continued to battle with strong defensive stops to cut into its deficit and tie the game multiple times.
Gaines remained aggressive down the stretch for Southeastern, connecting on a strong drive to the basket to take a 69-68 lead with 14 seconds left in the contest. East Texas A&M quickly responded as Harrison connected on a pull-up jumper outside the paint with five seconds left on the clock. SLU had one final look at the buzzer, but the attempt rimmed out, sealing the one-point loss.
Southeastern will return on the road for its final non-conference game of the season against LSU Friday at 7 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. SLU's matchup against the Tigers will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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.
