HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team claimed a 60-52 victory over Lamar Monday evening in the University Center.

Southeastern (5-10, 2-4 SLC) gained its second Southland Conference win of the season against Lamar (7-8, 2-4 SLC) at home, holding the visitors to its lowest field goal percentage allowed under head coach David Kiefer's leadership. SLU forced the Cardinals to shoot 28.3 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from the three-point line.

The Lions earned the eight-point win through balanced scoring, led by Jeremy Elyzee and Jalen Forrest tied with nine points. Elyzee finished with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks while Ubong-Abasi Etim (eight points), finishing 4-5 from the field. Key reserves Kyle Edison and Garrett Shoemaker also stepped up for SLU tied with seven points to contribute to the victory. Graduate senior Ethan Pickett (five points) led Southeastern on the glass with five rebounds while also dishing out five assists.

The Cardinals opened the contest with early energy to claim a 4-0 scoring run, building a narrow lead behind perimeter shooting and transition scoring. Southeastern responded with defensive stops and controlled possessions, forcing Lamar out of rhythm early through the first half to gain the lead, 11-8. SLU's defensive intensity turned up a notch alongside its perimeter shooting as its bench dropped 27 points in the first half. Forrest and Shoemaker led the charge for the Lions in the half with seven points apiece as the freshman provided quality minutes fueling Southeastern's 13-0 scoring run, draining two three-pointers, 29-12.

Andrew Holifield (17 points) carried Lamar in the first half, but the visitors' offensive woes continued as it had no answer for Southeastern's first half aggression. The Lions closed out the first half with a 36-24 advantage with all the momentum going into the halftime break. SLU ended the half with one of its best perimeter shooting performances, finishing 54.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc.

Lamar opened the second half with renewed energy, cutting the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions. The Cardinals pulled within eight points early in the half, 39-31, but Southeastern answered each run as it remained aggressive to put pressure on the visitors' defense. After missing the majority of the first half due to foul trouble, Makhi Myles (six points) stepped up for SLU midway through the second half when needed to deliver a dagger from the three-point line with an opportunity at the free throw line, 51-41.

Southeastern worked to value possessions late in the half with the clock winding down in its favor. Lamar battled to cut into its deficit but an alley-oop finish by Elyzee further pushed the momentum to SLU's advantage, 59-50. King-Njhsanni Wilhite (10 points) fought to produce a late run for the Cardinals, while Eian Lowe added seven points off the bench but could not overcome the green and gold down the stretch.

Though Lamar gained the advantage in the rebounding battle, 40-30, the Lions secured 36 bench points and 26 points in the paint. Southeastern's tenacious defense forced the Cardinals into 12 turnovers while obtaining nine fast break points. Weathering through its struggles at the free throw line, SLU claimed the home win shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from the three-point line and 51.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Southeastern will travel to Lake Charles, La. to face conference rival McNeese for a doubleheader Saturday at 4 p.m. Saturday's matchup against the Cowboys 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.