HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team will welcome Northwestern State to the University Center Sunday at 3:30 p.m. for its Southland Conference opener.

Southeastern (3-5) hosts its second home game of the season against Northwestern State (1-7, 0-1 SLC) to kick off SLC play at home. Sunday's game will be televised on ESPN+ and live stats can be accessed on the men's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net. The game 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 finished 2-1 on the road in the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic over the Thanksgiving break. The Lions suffered a 70-57 loss to the host UNCW as sophomore Jeremy Elyzee posted a season high 21 points with two assists. Southeastern moved on to claim a 76-68 victory over Gardner-Webb and a 69-65 win against Navy, the first in program history to extend its two-game winning streak.

Southeastern gained momentum over the break as three Lions finished in double figures against the Runnin' Bulldogs to contribute in the victory. Pacific transfer Seth Jones posted a season-high 18 points and three steals alongside Makhi Myles (13 points) and Ethan Pickett (10 points) with five assists to lead the team. The Lions posted a season-high 25 made free throws, 34 rebounds and 14 steals against Gardner-Webb.

Junior guard Peter Hemschemeir led SLU in its thrilling victory over Navy with 19 points and three assists. Hemschemeier shot 7-10 from the field and 5-5 from the three-point line while Isaiah Gaines followed up with a season-high 16 points. Jalen Forrest closed out the weekend with 12 points and five rebounds, finishing 2-4 from the field, 1-2 from behind the arc and 7-8 from the charity stripe. SLU secured the victory with its best overall shooting performance of the season, shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from the three-point line and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.

The Lions are looking to make a strong conference debut this week as they rank third in scoring defense (67.38) and have forced opponents into 15.1 turnovers per game. Jones stands third in the league in steals (2.0) while Forrest ranks sixth in free throw percentage (85.4).

Northwestern State suffered a 92-54 loss to McNeese on the road to open league play Friday. Four Demons finished in double-figures as they dropped their first first conference game of the season led by Justin Redmond with 15 points, four assists and three steals. Junior guard Izzy Miles (14 points) and Chris Mubiru (12 points) followed up in double-digits as Northwestern State recorded 49 bench points and 13 points off turnovers.

The Demons are led by senior Micah Thomas, averaging 16.3 points and 2.1 assists per game. Thomas has posted six games in double-figures this season, shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 46.9 percent from the three-point line and 90.6 percent from the free throw line. Northwestern State also heavily relies on Redmond (9.1 ppg) and Omar Adegbola (8.5 ppg) to comprise its top three scorers this season as Willie Williams leads the team on the boards (7.0 rpg).

Fans are encouraged to come out and support with an exciting afternoon of basketball for Lion Slam. Concluding Sunday's game, Southeastern will return on the road to face HCU Saturday, Dec. 13 in Houston, Texas at 3:30 p.m. Saturday's game against the Huskies 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.