HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team battled to claim a hard-fought 59-50 victory over New Orleans Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
Alexius Horne (19 points) led all scorers with her fifth consecutive game in double figures and six rebounds to help Southeastern (18-3, 12-0 SLC) remain undefeated at home over New Orleans (2-19, 2-9 SLC). The Baton Rouge, La. native carried the Lady Lions with a solid afternoon of production, shooting seven-of-15 from the field, two-of-three from the three-point line and three-of-five from the free throw line.
Senior
Cheyanne Daniels (15 points) followed up with her third straight game in double digits along with four rebounds to finish five-of-eight around the rim and five-of-eight from the charity stripe in the nine-point win at home.
Jalencia Pierre (11 points) closed out the game as last Lady Lions in double figures with five assists, three rebounds and two assists. The junior guard ended the game shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from the free throw line as Southeastern was able to scathe past the Privateers late in the game.
SLU improved to 12-0 in conference play after gaining 30 points in the paint, 23 points off turnovers and 14 fast break points in transition to obtain an edge over New Orleans to end its four-game home stretch.
The Lady Lions came out to a sluggish start in the opening minutes of the game as New Orleans jumped on the opportunity to gain momentum early. SLU recovered as both teams went back and forth seeking to take control in the first quarter. The Privateers worked early to dominate on the boards with six offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone to gain six second chance points over Southeastern. Jasmine Jones (18 points) came off the bench to carry New Orleans throughout the contest. Jones came alive midway in the quarter, shooting two-of-three from the field, one-of-one from behind the arch and two-of-three from the stripe. The Lady Lions ended the first quarter out of sorts as the Privateers secured a 10-point scoring to end the quarter with a 17-10-point advantage.
Southeastern turned the tide of momentum in its favor in the second half as it came out with a ship on its shoulder to regain the lead. Horne went to work for the Lady Lions to fuel a 12-point scoring run alongside Pierre and Daniels late in the second quarter. New Orleans could not counter in the quarter as SLU fired from all levels, shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe. Southeastern's defense turned up a notch as it forced the Privateers into five turnovers midway in the second quarter as it chipped 11 points off New Orleans' mistakes. With a 12-point scoring run late in the quarter, the Lady Lions ended the quarter with a 21-6-point edge over New Orleans to close out the first half up 31-23.
SLU gained the upper hand in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but the Privateers returned from halftime back on a mission to keep the game within reach. New Orleans continued to put up a fight as it gained eight paint points and capitalized on a few of Southeastern's turnovers in transition. As New Orleans weathered the storm, it valued possessions to attain an eight-point point scoring run in the last two minutes of the third quarter. The Privateers' aggression on the boards caused the Lady Lions problems as they allowed three offensive rebounds to secure extra possessions. New Orleans continued to compound its momentum as it concluded the third quarter with a 16-13-point edge. Nora Francois (seven points) fueled the drive midway in the quarter as she proved to not shy away from the competition. SLU held onto its lead as it ended the third quarter up 44-39.
The Lady Lions came out to a hot start in the beginning of the fourth quarter as they worked to extend their lead. New Orleans continued to fight and stay within arm's reach as Jones shot efficiently from the field and Alexis Calderon (eight points) chipped in easy points at the free throw line to produce a scoring run midway in the quarter. As Southeastern sensed a rise of momentum brewing for the Privateers, they quickly worked to eliminate any easy opportunities in the paint. SLU closed out the game shooting 27.3 percent from the field, but forced New Orleans to shoot 18.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from the three-point line. The Lady Lions continued to work to wear down the Privateers as they gained six paint points and five points off turnovers late in the fourth quarter. New Orleans could not answer back as Southeastern earned a 15-11-point advantage and the game with a nine-point victory in the University Center.
Southeastern will return on the road to traveling to Houston, Texas to face HCU Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. Thursday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard online at
www.lionsports.net/ListenLive.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X, like /SoutheasternWBB 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 offers 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.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit
www.LionSports.net/clear.
