HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team will suit up for its final two-game road stretch of the 2025-26 regular season against conference rival Nicholls and New Orleans.
Southeastern (8-21, 5-15 SLC) will visit Thibodaux, La. to face conference rival Nicholls (12-17, 11-9 SLC) Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. SLU will end the regular season in a rematch against New Orleans (14-15, 12-8 SLC) Monday evening at 7 p.m. Both contests will be televised on ESPN+ and live stats, provided by the hosts, can be accessed on the men's basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net. Southeastern's Southland Conference week 16 matchups can also be heard on KSLU 90.9 The Lion, online at either www.LionSports.net/listenlive or www.LionUpRadio.org, via the following apps – Lions Gameday Experience, Live365, iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio - or on Alexa speakers (skill must be enabled first). All you have to say is, "Alexa, play K.S.L.U."
SLU ended the previous week 0-2 in its final homestand in the University Center, suffering a 96-75 loss against UTRGV before falling 73-68 versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In its most recent matchup against the Islanders, three Lions finished in double-figures led by graduate senior Ethan Pickett with a season-high 17 points. Pickett fueled a spark off the bench for SLU, finishing 6-7 from the field and 5-9 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee followed up with 15 points, shooting 6-10 from the field, 1-2 from behind the arc and 2-3 from the free throw line. Redshirt-sophomore CJ Booker added 10 points and three assists against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Lions will look to bounce back in the final week of league action led by Elyzee with 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Isaiah Gaines follows up averaging 10.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest while Makhi Myles (7.8 ppg), Peter Hemschemeier (6.7 ppg) and Pickett (5.2 ppg) are Southeastern's other major contributors.
Nicholls ended the week 1-1, falling 81-78 versus Stephen F. Austin before snapping its two-game losing streak with a 53-52 victory over Lamar on the road. Trae English led the Colonels in their thrilling victory with 18 points, three steals and two assists against the Cardinals. English shot 7-17 from the field, 2-8 from the three-point line and 2-2 from the charity stripe. Zee Hamoda followed up with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks while Jalik Dunkley chipped in eight points with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Dunkley leads Nicholls averaging 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the three-point line. Jaylen Searles is another key contributor for the Colonels, averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while Sincere Malone (11.4 ppg), English (11.0 ppg) and Hamoda (9.8 ppg) are also key factors to the team's success.
New Orleans closed out the week 2-0, steadily compounding its momentum with a 77-71 victory over Lamar and a 77-73 win over Stephen F. Austin. In their most recent victory, Coleton Benson led the Privateers with 30 points, five rebounds and two steals to help secure the upset. MJ Thomas produced 18 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks alongside TJ Cope with 11 points and seven rebounds. New Orleans earned 38 paint points and 10 second chance points against SFA to claim the win on the road.
The Privateers are led by Benson averaging 16.1 points and 1.7 assists per game while posting four 30+ games this season. Jakevion Buckley follows with 13.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game alongside MJ Thomas averaging 11.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. In its last matchup against the Lions, the Privateers gained a 79-76 victory as Benson led the charge with 30 points. Thomas followed up with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Churchill Abass recorded 11 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
Both games against the conference rival Nicholls and New Orleans 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.
