BATON ROUGE, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team suffered a 78-65 loss against LSU on the road Friday evening in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
SLU (4-8, 1-2 SLC) dropped a seven-point setback against LSU (10-1) to close out its final non-conference game of the 2025-26 season. The Tigers held control the majority of the game to remain undefeated at home.
Sophomore Makhi Myles and junior Peter Hemschemeier led the charge for the Lions with 15 points apiece. Myles ended the game with a season-high in scoring while adding six rebounds, shooting 5-10 from the field and 2-7 from three-point range to provide a spark off the bench for SLU. Hemschemeier closed out his third consecutive game in double-figures, connecting on 5-13 shooting while knocking down three triples to go along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Junior Jalen Forrest followed with 11 points and five rebounds, while Jeremy Elyzee chipped in seven points and five rebounds, providing key second-chance opportunities throughout the contest. Southeastern closed the game shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 24.0 percent from behind the arc and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Southeastern came out with confidence in the opening minutes, briefly taking an early lead behind baskets from Hemschemeier and Elyzee. LSU quickly responded due to its efficient transition offense with a decisive 13–0 run to seize control of the game, 23-6. The Tigers shot 59.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range in the first half led by Dedan Thomas Jr. (14 points) with 12 points in the half.
LSU continued to extend its lead as Michael Nwoko (18 points) and Max Mackinnon (14 points) proved to cause problems throughout the contest. The Tigers built a 50–36 advantage heading into the halftime break.
The Lions opened the second half with renewed energy, outscoring LSU 29–28 over the final 20 minutes. SLU leaned on its interior presence and second-chance opportunities, posting a 14-6 edge on second-chance points and matching LSU with 28 points in the paint. Southeastern battled to claim a 9-0 scoring run midway through the half and trimmed the deficit to single digits, 62-51, highlighted by baskets from Myles and Forrest.
The Tigers held their lead and pulled away by capitalizing on timely turnovers and perimeter shooting down the stretch. LSU finished the night shooting 54.3 percent overall and 40.9 percent from three-point line, while Southeastern struggled from long range in the second half.
SLU will return to Southland Conference play, traveling to San Antonio, Texas to face UIW Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. Southeastern's matchup against the Cardinals 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.
