HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team will return to action in the University Center for its last pair of Southland Conference home games against Northwestern State and East Texas A&M.
 
Southeastern (22-3, 16-0 SLC) will host Northwestern State (12-12, 9-6 SLC) Thursday evening to open week nine of conference play at home. The Lady Lions will move on to face East Texas A&M (6-18, 3-12 SLC) Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the week.
 
Both games will be on ESPN+ and be heard in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. Streaming audio of 90.9 The Lion broadcasts are available online, at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive or www.LionUpRadio.org, or through the following apps - Lions' Gameday and MyTuner Radio. Live stats can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
SLU ended week eight of conference play 2-0 with dominant wins over conference rivals McNeese and Nicholls. Southeastern posted a 65-45 victory over McNeese, before defeating Nicholls 63-50 at home to remain undefeated in league play. The Lady Lions continue their historic run at 16-0 in conference play and are currently one-of-two teams in the nation standing 15-0 or higher in their respective conference, as of Feb. 18.
 
In the13-point victory over Nicholls, two Lady Lions finished in double figures to help Southeastern remain undefeated in the University Center this season. Jalencia Pierre and Kaili Chamberlin tied with 10 points in the victory to produce a spark for SLU throughout the contest. Pierre shot five-of-seven from the field with six rebounds, two assists and one steal. Chamberlin tied her season high, shooting four-of-five from the field and two-of-two from the three-point line with five rebounds to fuel a spark of momentum off the bench. Cheyanne Daniels and Arianna Patton each followed up with nine points, while Lexi Alexander (six points) led the team on the boards with nine rebounds and three assists. Southeastern's defense forced the Colonels into 14 turnovers as the Lady Lions were able to capitalize and gain 34 points in the paint and 19 points off turnovers.
 
Southeastern continues to remain in the driver seat during the second half of conference play led by veteran guard Alexius Horne averaging 14.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Daniels (9.2 ppg), Taylor Bell (8.0 ppg), Pierre (7.3 ppg), and Alexander (7.4 ppg) have also been major contributors to SLU's balanced scoring this season alongside its solid bench production. Horne continues to stay among the top ten in the conference in scoring, sitting at sixth, while also ranking third in field goal percentage (46.8). Daniels has consistently led the league in free throw percentage (84.8), while Pierre stands at the top in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.32). Pierre also ranks second in steals (2.20) and fourth in assists (4.08) to impact both ends of the floor for the Lady Lions. Southeastern leads the league in scoring defense (52.20), steals (11.20), turnover margin (+7.64), and assist/turnover ratio (1.04).
 
Northwestern State suffered two tough losses to end week eight of conference play at home. The Lady Demons fell 58-46 to Lamar, before dropping 68-66 to Stephen F. Austin. Northwestern State battled against SFA throughout the entire matchup, but could not secure the win in the final stretch. The Lady Demons stand fifth in the conference and are led by their senior guard Mya Blake, averaging 17.4 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Blake leads the league in scoring, ranks second in assists (4.17), three-point field goal made (2.42), and fifth in field goal percentage (41.5). The Stockton, Calif. native has secured 21 games in double figures this season with a career high 37 points in Northwestern State's first matchup against SFA. The Lady Demons also heavily rely on their freshman Vernell Atamah averaging 13.3 points per game and 6.4 rebounds. Atamah ranks ninth in the conference in scoring and rebounding to help Northwestern State dominate on the boards. Sharna Ayres is another key contributor for the Lady Demons this season, averaging 10.6 points per game, the senior is shooting 34.5 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from the three-point line and 82.5 percent from the free throw line. Nia Hardison (5.3 ppg) and Jasmin Dixon (2.9 ppg) also chip in for Northwestern State to bring a spark of momentum as Dixon leads the conference in blocked shots (1.67). The Lady Demons stand first in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (23.9), rebounding offense (40.42), and blocked shots (4.04). In its last game against SLU, Northwestern State lost 66-57 as Atamah posted 21 points to lead the team followed by Blake with 20 points at home.
 
East Texas A&M also finished 0-2 last week at home with a 71-55 loss to Stephen F. Austin before falling 71-57 to Lamar. In the loss to the Cardinals, East Texas A&M gained 28 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers and 13 bench points led by Jordyn Newsome with 16 points. The senior guard is the Lions leading scorer this season averaging 14.6 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. The Irving, Texas native has claimed 19 games in double digits this season, and ranks fourth in the league in scoring and sixth in field goal percentage (41.1). Cora Horvath is the second leading scorer for East Texas A&M, averaging 11.0 points per game and 3.0 assists this season. Horvath tied a season high 25 points against Seattle University during non-conference play and has posted seven games in double figures throughout league play. Jasmine Payne is another key contributor for the Lions, averaging 10.2 points per game and 3.3 rebounds. East Texas A&M stands at the top in the conference in free throw percentage, fourth in scoring offense (64.25) and three-point field goal percentage (32.3).
 
Thursday's game will honor junior Jalencia Pierre as the Spotlight Player of the game, while Saturday's contest will recognize senior Alexius Horne. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring the players, courtesy of PRIDE. The Lady Lions invite all former players, alumni, and fans for Alumni Day Saturday afternoon to relive the excitement of Lady Lion basketball. Fans are encouraged to support as Southeastern honors past players and all they have contributed to the program.
 
Concluding Saturday's contest, SLU will close out conference play on the road against UTRGV Thursday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. before facing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. All games 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.