HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team took care of business with a 63-50 victory against conference rival Nicholls Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
Two Lady Lions ended the contest in double figures to help Southeastern (22-3, 16-0 SLC) protect the den against Nicholls (8-17, 9-7 SLC) and remain undefeated at home this season.
Jalencia Pierre and
Kaili Chamberlin tied with 10 points to produce a spark for SLU throughout the game. Pierre shot five-of-seven from the field with six rebounds and two assists. Chamberlin recorded her second game in double figures, shooting four-of-five from the field and two-of-two from behind the arch. The senior contributed 12 valuable minutes, bringing a spark off the bench for the Lady Lions, while securing five rebounds.
Arianna Patton and
Cheyanne Daniels each followed up with nine points in the 13-point victory to close out week eight of Southland Conference play. Patton ended with an exceptional performance, shooting three-of-three from the field and three-point line with two assists. Daniels consistently worked in the paint to help Southeastern gain an edge, finishing three-of-nine from the field and three-of-four from the free throw line. The Miami, Fla. native snagged five rebounds while
Lexi Alexander (six points) led the team on the boards with nine rebounds and three assists.
SLU asserted its dominance in the third quarter with a 19-4-point advantage to close out the quarter and extend its lead over Nicholls. The Lady Lions closed out the game with 34 paint points, 22 bench points and 19 points off turnovers.
Both teams went to work in the opening minutes of the game to try and take control early. Daelyn Craig (eight points) came out to a hot start for Nicholls in the first quarter with six points to produce a surge of momentum on the road. Southeastern counter with its own scoring run fueled by Patton from the three-point line to take the lead midway in the first quarter. The Colonels continued to work to chip in buckets with balanced scoring, but SLU's defense turned up a notch to force Nicholls into five turnovers. Both teams fought to gain points in the paint to end the quarter tied 10-10 in paint points. The Colonels connected on a three-pointer late, but SLU refused to end the first quarter down.
Avari Berry (four points) finished on a layup to help the Lady Lions gain a five-point lead to end the first quarter, 18-13.
Nicholls came out on a roll in the second quarter, but Alexander and
Alexius Horne (seven points) quickly worked to carry Southeastern in the second quarter. The Colonels weathered SLU's short scoring run, and countered with their own five-point scoring run to stay within reach. The Lady Lions battled to keep the momentum in their favor, but Nicholls fought to stay in the game. The Colonels emphasized scoring in the paint with a 10-4-point advantage, capitalizing off a few defensive breakdowns by Southeastern. Nicholls closed out the second quarter with an 18-11-point edge over SLU, shooting 58.3 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe. The Lady Lions chipped in points at the free throw line, shooting five-of-six, but the Colonels gained the lead 31-29 to end the first half.
Nicholls returned from the halftime break with the same aggression early in the third quarter, but Pierre came out with a different mindset and scored back-to-back buckets for Southeastern to bring the game within two points. The junior guard stepped up for the Lady Lions in all categories to cause problems for the Colonels midway in the quarter. SLU relied on its defense to regain the lead and claim a 13-2-point scoring run in the third quarter to finish with a dominant 19-4-point advantage. Southeastern gained 12 points in the paint and forced Nicholls into four turnovers. The Colonels had no answer for the Lady Lions' run as SLU shot 57.1 percent from the field. Southeastern claimed a 13-point lead to close the third quarter up 48-35.
The Lady Lions' momentum rolled over into the fourth quarter as Chamberlin drained two three-pointers to extend their lead over Nicholls. The Colonels fought to stay in the game as they earned extra possessions of offensive rebounds, but SLU remained focused to seal the deal. Eli Garnett (14 points) dropped eight points in the quarter alone, but Nicholls could not overcome Southeastern's scoring from all three levels. The Lady Lions ended the fourth quarter 63-50, shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 50.0 percent from the stripe to secure the win.
Five seniors were honored before the victory over the Colonels as
Taylor Bell,
Terri Crawford,
Cheyanne Daniels,
Alexius Horne and Mackenzie Lewis-Thomas were recognized. The 2024-25 senior class was celebrated for their impact on the program and success so far this season.
SLU will remain at home and face Northwestern State Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. in the University Center. 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.
