Lions pick up first Southland win, hold off Islanders 84-80

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana men’s basketball team built a 26-point first half lead before holding off a late rally for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the 84-80 win Saturday afternoon at the American Bank Center.

The Lions (4-10, 1-2 Southland) were led by junior Pape Diop with 23 points including 13-for-15 from the free throw line. Senior Von Julien scored 20 points while dishing out four assists and getting four steals. Sophomore Ty Brewer added 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting.

The Islanders (5-10, 1-3 Southland) had five players score in double figures led by Irshaad Hunt with 18 points on 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Jordan Hairston added 13 points and shot 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Javae Lampkins, Jashawn Talton-Thomas and Elijah Schmidt had 11, 10 and 10 respectively.

After A&M-Corpus Christi scored the first five points of the game, the Lions responded with a 9-0 run. Southeastern led 17-11 with 11:52 left in the first half before exploding on a 23-6 run to take a, commanding, 43-17 lead. SLU led 45-23 at halftime.

The Islanders, however, mounted a comeback in the second half. With the Lions leading 52-27, A&M-Corpus Christi began to slowly chip away at the SLU lead. The Islanders grinded their way back to within six, 69-63, with 4:17 to go.

Brewer, SLU’s leading scorer, hit back to back jumpers to keep the Islanders at arm’s length, 73-65 with 2:13 left. But Julien helped the Lions seal the deal as the Reserve, Louisiana native hit 10 straight free throws in the final 1:54 clinch the win.

“I thought our guys came out ready to play like we usually do,” said SLU men’s head basketball coach David Kiefer. “We jumped on them early but the Islanders are a well-coached team and they made adjustments in the second half and started throwing the ball inside and getting to the free throw line. They did a good job of not quitting but our guys also responded well and didn’t panic when they made the run. We were being nothing but positive on the bench and big credit to Von for pulling the team together and taking we home.”

The Lions finished the game 26-for-49 from the field for 54 percent and made a season-high 27 free throws (27-for-35). Southeastern also committed a season-low nine turnovers. The Islanders were 24-for-44 (54 percent) from the field and 24-for-29 at the free throw line.

Next up, the Lions will take on Sam Houston State Wednesday night on the road at 6:30 p.m.

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.

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