THIBODAUX, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team dropped a tough 68-60 loss against conference rival Nicholls Saturday afternoon in the David R. Stopher Gymnasium.
Southeastern (8-22, 5-16 SLC) suffered its fifth straight loss in Southland Conference play to open the week against Nicholls (13-17, 12-9 SLC) on the road. SLU led for the majority of the first half, but the Colonels gained control and held its lead in the second half, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities and the visitors' turnovers to secure the eight-point win.
Redshirt-sophomore CJ Booker led the Lions with 12 points and four assists, shooting 5-11 from the field and 2-4 from the three-point line. Sophomore Jeremy Elyzee finished the contest with nine points against Nicholls while Ahmed Essahaty and Garrett Shoemaker followed up with eight points apiece. Essahaty shot 3-6 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line alongside Shoemaker connecting on 4-7 from the field to produce a spark off the bench.
Trae English powered Nicholls with 16-points to lead all-scorers while dishing out five assists, shooting 5-11 from the field, 2-5 from the three-point line and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Sincere Malone posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while also contributing to an all-around game of five assists, two steals and two blocks. Grant Sanders and Zee Hamoda tied with 11 points to help contribute to the victory for the Colonels, extending their two-game winning streak.
Southeastern came out to a solid start in the opening minutes of the contest, executing on great ball movement to gain a 10-2 run. Nicholls worked to find its rhythm, but could not overcome its offensive woes in the opening of the first half connecting on only one-of-seven attempts. Elyzee and Makhi Myles came out hot from the three-point line to help the Lions build their lead, 14-9.
The Colonels regrouped with a full head of steam to claim the momentum midway through the first half, working to cut into its deficit. Shoemaker stepped up for Southeastern to finish through the contact with big plays in the paint to extend the visitors lead, 29-21. SLU battled to stay in control, but allowed Nicholls to capitalize on points in transition after with multiple turnovers in a sequence of possessions.
Nicholls fought to take advantage of Southeastern's turnovers, but the visitors remained in the lead as it worked to find gaps within the hosts' defense, 29-21. The tide of momentum turned in favor of the Colonels as its defensive pressure caused problems for the Lions down the stretch to force 12 turnovers in the first half. SLU struggled to fuel a run as Nicholls recorded a 10-point scoring run behind Sanders to secure a lead in the final seconds of the opening period, 33-31. Southeastern closed out the first half shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from behind the arc and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
Both teams continued to go back-and-forth after returning from the halftime break, featuring multiple ties as neither team could create separation early in the second half. Booker came alive for Southeastern in the second half, dropping nine points to help the green and gold reclaim the lead, 41-39. Nicholls battled to snap SLU's run midway through the half as English stepped up to cause problems for the visitors' defense, 55-49.
Nicholls kept its control of the game late in the second half, though Southeastern worked to stay within reach. English continued to answer the call for the Colonels with 14 points in the second half to extend their lead down the stretch alongside Malone, but Shoemaker continued to showcase a solid performance for the Lions in the interior, tying the game 58-58. Nicholls clamped down defensively as SLU could not find their offensive rhythm down the stretch, suffering a four-minute scoring drought.
The Lions stayed within reach of the final minute of the game, but the Colonels refused to falter toward the end of the contest, extending their lead at the free throw line. Nicholls secured multiple offensive rebounds to run the clock in its favor as English d converted on four free throws to seal the deal while the hosts also held the advantage 37-33 on the boards. The visitors recorded 34 paint points and 18 points off turnovers compounding its momentum in the end.
Southeastern closed out the shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from behind the arc and 88.9 percent from the charity stripe. The Lions posted 30 paint points alongside key reserves that chipped in 26 bench points with eight fast break points.
SLU will remain on the road to close out SLC play against New Orleans Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. Monday's matchup against the Privateers will be televised 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.
