Second half surge helps SLU to 65-49 win at McNeese

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana outscored McNeese, 40-16, in the second half on the way to a 65-49 road victory over the Cowgirls in Southland Conference women’s basketball action Wednesday night at Burton Coliseum.

The victory extended the winning streak to five for SLU (9-6, 8-4 Southland). The Lady Lions were able to avenge an 80-72 loss to McNeese (6-11, 6-4 Southland) back on Jan. 16 in Hammond.

Breonca Ducksworth and Chrissy Brown shared game-high scoring honors for SLU with 14 points each. Natalie Kelly earned her first double-double of her Lady Lion career, posting 10 points and 16 rebounds, while also leading SLU with three blocked shots.

Cierria Cunningham led SLU with three steals, while Ducksworth dished out a team-high four assists. Caitlyn Williams (nine points, eight rebounds) and Hailey Giaratano (eight points) were both key contributors for Southeastern.

Kyla Hamilton and Divine Tanks led McNeese with 12 points apiece, while Claralee Richard pitched in 10 points for the Cowgirls. Hamilton dished out seven assists, while Tanks and Shaela Gardner pulled down six rebounds each for the hosts.

McNeese closed the opening half on a 15-4 run to take a 33-25 lead into halftime. Much like on Monday when SLU erased a nine-point halftime deficit in a 51-46 win over Abilene, the Lady Lions came out of the break a different team.

McNeese briefly extended the lead to nine, but Southeastern outscored the Cowgirls, 22-8, in the third quarter to take a 47-41 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Southeastern pulled away even further in the final period, growing its lead to as many as 18 points. SLU held an 18-8 scoring advantage in the final quarter to secure its third win in the last four games over its in-state rivals.

Up Next
SLU heads to Northwestern State for a 1 p.m. contest in Natchitoches on Saturday.

Southeastern Louisiana 65 (9-6, 8-4 SLC)
Carrier 1-6 1-2 3, Williams 4-6 1-4 9, Kelly 4-5 2-8 10, Ducksworth 3-7 8-9 14, Giaratano 2-9 2-4 8, Cunningham 1-5 5-6 7, Brown 6-13 2-2 14, Harvey 0-2 0-0 0, Bradford 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 21-35 65.
McNeese 49 (6-11, 6-4 SLC)
Tanks 5-15 2-2 12, Ratcliff 1-2 1-2 3, Hamilton 3-11 5-6 12, Gardner 2-6 2-4 7, Richard 5-13 0-0 10, Stubblefield 0-5 1-4 2, Johnson 1-2 2-4 4, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, Critton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-54 13-22 49.
End of 1st Quarter – MCN 16, SLU 13. Halftime – MCN 33, SLU 25. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 47, MCN 41. 3-point goals – SLU 2-10 (Giaratano 2-5, Carrier 0-2, Kelly 0-1, Brown 0-1, Harvey 0-1), MCN 2-12 (Gardner 1-4, Hamilton 1-1, Richard 0-5, Stubblefield 0-2). Technical Fouls – Carrier. Fouled Out – Tanks, Hamilton, Johnson, Robinson. Rebounds – SLU 42 (Kelly 16), MCN 38 (Tanks, Gardner 6). Assists – SLU 12 (Ducksworth 4), MCN 11 (Hamilton 7). Total Fouls – SLU 20, MCN 30. A – 144.

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