HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team suffered a 76-68 loss to Northwestern State Sunday afternoon in the University Center.
Southeastern (3-6, 0-1 SLC) fell by eight points in its Southland Conference debut against Northwestern State (2-7, 1-1 SLC), snapping its two-game winning streak. Despite holding the lead at halftime, the Lions were unable to secure the win down the stretch as the Demons answered with 51-points in the second half.
Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee led all scorers with 19 points, five rebounds, and two blocks to carry Southeastern at home. Elyzee closed out the game shooting 6-10 from the field and 7-11 from the free throw line. Fifth-year senior Isaiah Gaines produced a season-high 17 points with two steals while leading SLU on the boards with seven rebounds.
Gaines finished 5-8 from the field and 7-7 from the charity stripe while Jalen Forrest added 10 points off the bench. Redshirt-sophomore CJ Booker chipped in eight points and two steals to help fuel the Lions early momentum. Southeastern ended its conference opener shooting 44.0 percent from the field while outscoring the Demons 36–32 in the paint.
SLU came out to a solid start with its strongest defensive stretch of the season to spark a 7–0 scoring run. Elyzee and Gaines went to work early as the Lions dictated the pace of the game with their full court pressure, forcing Northwestern State into 10 turnovers in the first half. The Demons regrouped midway through the first half with their own 10-point scoring run to keep the matchup within reach.
Senior Micah Thomas (18 points) carried Northwestern State in the first half alongside Omar Adegbola (11 points) to cause problems for the Lions. Southeastern fought to remain in control as it closed out the first half with the lead, capitalizing on nine points off turnovers, 29-25. SLU ended half shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the line.
Returning from the halftime break, the Lions extended their largest 10-point lead early in the second half as Booker connected from behind the arc, 41-31. Northwestern State wasted no time and quickly responded with a 10-2 scoring run fueled by Thomas and Justin Redmond (17 points) to cut into its deficit. Redmond continued to step up for the Demons in the half to ignite the Demons most efficient scoring run of the afternoon.
Northwestern State tied the game late in the second half as Redmond proved to be the key factor for the visitors on both sides of the ball, 54-54. Izzy Miles (13 points) also came alive for the Demons in the second half, contributing with a long-range three-pointer to claim their first lead of the half, 59-58. Northwestern State refused to let up as they gained a 22-12 scoring, benefitting off-second chance opportunities led by Willie Williams with seven rebounds.
Southeastern battled to weather the storm, but the Demons tightly held on to its momentum to secure the road win. Northwestern State's dominant 36-25 rebounding edge and perimeter shooting proved to be too much to overcome down the stretch. SLU closed out the afternoon shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 15.8 percent from the three-point line and 70.0 percent from the free-throw line.
The Lions will return on the road Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3:30 to face Houston Christian in the Sharp Gymnasium. Saturday's matchup 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.
