BOULDER, Colo. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team closed its 2024-25 season in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament with a 73-41 loss to Colorado in the CU Events Center.
Southeastern (26-6, 19-1 SLC) fell by 32 points to the No. 1 seed Colorado (21-12, 9-9 BIG 12) in the first round of the tournament on the road. The Lady Lions were unable to extend their postseason run as Colorado secured a 19-5-point advantage in the fourth quarter.
Alexius Horne (14 points) finished the contest as the lone Lady Lion in double figures, shooting five-of-15 from the field, two-of-seven from the three-point line, and two-of-four from the free throw line. The veteran produced a spark of momentum for SLU on the road while also dishing out three assists.
Cheyanne Daniels followed up with seven points, two steals and two blocks in the loss. Daniels worked in the paint to finish two-of-five from the field and three-of-four from the charity stripe. Senior Taylor Bell chipped in six points with five rebounds, shooting three-of-six from the field.
SLU came out to a slow start in the opening minutes of the game as Colorado went on a 13-4-point scoring run midway through the first quarter. The Buffs continued to take control of the game early from the three-point line and in transition. The Lady Lions' offensive woes continued as Colorado pushed ahead with a 10-point scoring run to secure a 17-9-point lead to close the first quarter. SLU finished the quarter shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from the stripe.
The Buffs worked to protect their home court as the hosts returned in the opening of the second quarter with the same intensity. Grace Oliver (12 points) came alive in the second quarter shooting two-of-two from the field and one-of-one from the free throw line. Southeastern worked to cut into the deficit, but Colorado kept their foot on the gas with a 10-6-point advantage in paint points. The Buffs gained a 19-point lead in the second quarter, shooting 70.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from behind the arch, and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe. SLU gained a spark of momentum late in the second quarter to bring the game within reach, but Colorado held its lead to close the first half up 33-20.
The Lady Lions returned in the third quarter with a five-point scoring run, but Lior Garzon (18 points) quickly halted SLU's momentum. Garzon gained eight points in the third quarter alone to extend the Buffs' lead as the graduate student finished shooting six-of-11 from the field, two-of-five from the three-point line, and four-of-four from the free throw line. Southeastern battled as its tenacious defense forced Colorado into six turnovers in the quarter alone, but the Buffs continued to dominate while shooting above 60.0 percent from the field. Colorado ended the third quarter up 54-36 after securing a 21-16-point advantage late in the contest.
Southeastern continued to battle in the opening of the fourth quarter, but Colorado refused to let go of its lead. Horne and Bell worked to fuel a run for the Lady Lions with five combined points in the quarter. The Buffs survived and advanced to the second round of the WBIT as SLU could not bring the game within reach. Southeastern finished the game shooting 26.7 percent from the field, 14.3 percent from behind the arch, and 50.0 percent from the free throw line.
The Lady Lions end their 2024-25 season with five seniors who greatly impacted the program with a historic run. Alexius Horne, Taylor Bell, Cheyanne Daniels, Mackenzie Lewis-Thomas, and Terri Crawford ended their careers in SLU's green and gold.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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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.
