HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball team will officially begin the 2026-27 season Monday, when the Lions face No. 9/8 LSU at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La.
With a 6 p.m. tip-off, SLU will face off with the Tigers in the teams' first game of the season. The season opener will be televised on SEC Network. Fans can also listen to all the Southeastern action locally on KSLU 90.9 The Lion and worldwide online at either
www.LionSports.net/listenlive or
www.LionUpRadio.org, or via the following apps – the Lions Gameday Experience and MyTuner Radio.
The new look Lions will be led by
Aliyah Collins, who last posted the fourth-best scoring average (14.7) in the Southland Conference. The senior also paced the SLU offense in 2025-26 with a team-best 91 assists.
Natalie Huff will take the court after a solid freshman season with Southeastern. Huff was the team's steals leader (49) in her first season in Hammond, America.
Eryn McKinzie, who led the Lions in rebounding average (5.0) and averaged the third-most points on the team (9.9) in 2025-26, will compete in the season opener.
SLU's newest Lions will take the floor on Monday, with Southeastern bringing in nine additions to the 2026-27 squad. Division I transfers
Micah Cooper and
Lillian Merow headline Southeastern's newcomers. Cooper was a high school standout out of Hebron High, where the Carrollton, Texas, native led her alma mater to the playoffs while averaging 13.3 points per game.
Merow was also a standout student-athlete from Port Washington, Wis. The sophomore was a four-year All-Conference selection during each season of her career at Port Washington High. Merow also posted a game-high 15 points in SLU's exhibition win, 99-55, against Southern-New Orleans.
Kim Mulkey's Tigers will be looking to have a hot start in the upcoming season, after the team competed in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship last season. LSU will be led by First Team All-SEC honoree Mikaylah Williams, 2025-26 scoring leader MiLaysia Fulwiley, and SEC All-Freshman standout ZaKiyah Johnson.
Williams is entering her senior season after averaging 14.2 points per game, shooting 50.7% from the field last season. In 34 games off the bench, Fulwiley paced LSU with a 14.6 points-per-game mark and a team-best 99 steals. Johnson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
After taking on the Tigers, the Lions will return to Hammond, America, for the team's home opener against Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday at 11 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on KSLU 90.9 The Lion and
www.LionSports.net/listenlive.
Thursday's home opener will also be the Field Trip/Post Game Autograph Game at the University Center. The Lions will be welcoming their youngest fans as local students will be bringing the noise in the first home game of the 2026-27 season. Southeastern women's basketball will also be signing exclusive autographs after the game.
Mia Ramos will be the Spotlight Player of the Game for Thursday's home opener. The first 150 fans to attend the game will receive a trading card featuring the guard, courtesy of PRIDE.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women's Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X and Instagram or like /SoutheasternWBB on Facebook.
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.
