CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team suffered a 68-56 loss against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday afternoon in the Hilliard Center.
Southeastern (5-13, 2-7 SLC) dropped its third consecutive game after falling behind early in the contest against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (10-8, 6-3 SLC) in Southland Conference play. The hosts maintained their lead the entire game, though SLU battled to gain a 38-30 advantage in the second half.
Three Lions finished in double-figures as fifth-year senior Isaiah Gaines tied his season-high 18 points for the second-straight game with six rebounds and two steals against the Islanders. Gaines led all scorers, finishing 7-10 from the field and 4-7 from the free-throw line. Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee finished with 12 points and three assists, shooting 6-9 from the field.
Junior Peter Hemschemeier posted 10 points with four assists to lead the team while Makhi Myles chipped in nine points. Southeastern gained 34 paint points, 16 points off turnovers and 14 fast break points, but could not overcome its first half deficit against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Islanders came out the gate with an 11-2 run as SLU fell into a scoring drought in the opening minutes of the game. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took control of the matchup, but Southeastern weathered the storm as Gaines and Elyzee stepped up to score the first four buckets for the team. The Islanders capitalized on 11 points as the Lions could develop quality possessions with eight turnovers in the first half alone, 25-13.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi secured the early advantage and never relinquished control as it shot 50.0 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from behind the arc and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line. Nicholas Shogbonyo (14 points) carried the Islanders throughout the contest as he proved to lead the charge with nine points in the first half. The hosts continued to pull away as SLU's offensive woes carried through the majority of the first half to enter the halftime break with a 38-18 advantage.
Southeastern responded after halftime with a different level of intensity as it outscored the Islanders 38-30 in the second half, shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Both teams battled back-and-forth as SLU battled to cut into its deficit as Hemschemeier worked to contribute with paint points, 45-22. The Lions worked to capitalize on their speed in transition, but still fell into offensive droughts as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi remained in the driver seat.
The Islanders extended their lead to as much as 24-points midway through the half, 53-29. Southeastern worked to bring the game within 10-points late in the second half, but the hosts refused to let up to allow an opportunity for long stretches of momentum for the green and gold. The Lions rallied to force Texas A&M-Corpus Christi into 13 turnovers in the second half alone, but could not stay within reach down the stretch as the clock worked in the hosts' favor.
SLU closed out the game shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the three-point line and 61.5 percent from the charity stripe on the road.
Southeastern will move forward in its two-game stretch around South Texas to face UTRGV Monday at 6:30 p.m. The matchup against the Vaqueros 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.
