Lady Lions fall to Lamar at home, 67-60

HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champions Southeastern Louisiana University women’s basketball team suffered a 67-60 loss to Lamar Thursday evening in the Pride Roofing University Center.

Senior guard Hailey Giaratano led all scorers with 17 points and two assists in the matchup against the Cardinals (17-5, 11-1 SLC).

Allasia Washington followed up with ten points off the bench shooting 3-3 from the field and 4-7 from the free throw in Southeastern’s (17-9, 11-2 SLC) second defeat in league play this season. SLU was unable to reclaim the game after a 17-6-point run from Lamar in the second quarter to pivot the momentum to the Cardinals to continually build on their lead in the second half.

Southeastern came out to a solid start in the first quarter shooting 46.7 percent from the field led by junior transfer Mackenzie Thomas (eight points) to end the quarter down by three-points, 18-15. Lamar took control of the game with a 17-6-point advantage over the Lady Lions in the second quarter to carry a 35-21 lead into halftime.

Senior guard Sabria Dean (16 points) carried her team with eight rebounds shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 4-4 from the three-point line. Malay McQueen (11 points) came alive in the second quarter with back-to-back buckets to finish 3-3 from behind the arch and 80.0 percent from the field. R’Mani Taylor (10 points) also contributed double-digit scoring for the Cardinals with five assists. Taylor also shot 4-4 from the field to aid Lamar finishing the contest 12-12 from the free throw line.

The Lady Lions forced Lamar into 18 turnovers led by Taylor Bell (nine points) with four steals. The Cardinals restrained Southeastern’s physicality on the boards with a 36-23 edge off rebounds to gain a 9-2-point advantage off second chance opportunities.

Lamar obtained its largest 22-point lead late in the third quarter to cap the quarter with a 21-15- point advantage, 56-36. Southeastern fought back midway into the fourth quarter with a 12-point run that helped SLU regain a 32-26-point advantage in the paint. The Lady Lions outscored Lamar 24-11 in the fourth quarter, but could not recoup from missed opportunities at the free throw line earlier in the matchup. SLU would end the game shooting 61.9 percent from the stripe.

Southeastern’s bench contributed 21 points to make an effort to cut into the deficit. SLU acquired 19 points off turnovers as its defense picked up its intensity late into the contest to bring the score within seven points, 67-60.

Southeastern will be back in the Pride Roofing University Center Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. to take on HCU. Junior guard Taylor Bell will be the Spotlight Player of the Game for the matchup. The first 150 fans will receive trading cards of the junior, courtesy of PRIDE. Saturday’s matchup, sponsored by Tangi Tourism, will be televised on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on the women’s basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net. The Lady Lions welcome all dads and daughters to the Pride Roofing University Center to join in making a pregame tunnel. Discounted tickets will be offered to all daughters under the age of 15 with free admission.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women’s Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB on X, like /SoutheasternWBB 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 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.