SLU overwhelms LSU-Shreveport, 74-35, in home opener

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women’s basketball team jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back on the way to a 74-35 victory over LSU-Shreveport in Monday’s Lady Lion 2021-22 home opener in the University Center.

The Lady Lions (1-2) won their fourth straight home opener in convincing fashion to put their first notch in the win column for 2021-22. SLU forced the visiting Pilots into 28 turnovers on the way to their lowest scoring output allowed since the 2008-09 season.

“We want to be consistent throughout the game,” Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. “We played well all four quarters tonight, which we weren’t able to say after our first two games.”

Southeastern’s offensive effort was buoyed by the outside shooting of Daija Harvey and Morgan Carrier. Harvey netted a career-high six three-point field goals on the way to a game and career-high 20 points, while Carrier connected on 3-of-5 from behind the arc to contribute 19 points.

“Morgan’s shot wasn’t falling in the first couple of games, but she’s continued to put in the work, so we were happy to see her effort pay off tonight,” Guzzardo commented. “Daija’s been consistent to start the season and we know we can count on her to make shots.”

The Lady Lions finished with a 41-34 rebounding advantage, including an impressive 15 boards on the offensive glass. Four of Caitlyn Williams’ team-high six rebounds were offensive, while Chrissy Brown paced SLU with five offensive boards.

All 14 Lady Lions who dressed saw the court with no player playing more than 21 minutes. A total of 10 different Lady Lions scored with SLU finishing with 20 assists on 26 made field goals. Breonca Ducksworth and Dijone’ Flowers each finished with four assists in Monday’s win.

Southeastern limited the visitors to 25.0 percent (11-for-44) shooting from the floor, thanks in large part to a ball-hawking defense. Taylor Bell and Jaylen Huderson each had three steals, while Natalie Kelly lead SLU with three blocked shots. Ciera Daniels led LSU-Shreveport with 11 points off the bench.

Carrier scored the game’s first eight points and sparked a dominant first quarter for the Lady Lions. SLU held the Pilots to one made field goal and held a 21-4 lead after the initial 10 minutes. Things didn’t go much better for the visitors in the second quarter, as SLU went into the break with a 37-14 cushion.

The Lady Lions did not allow LSU-Shreveport to score for the first five-plus minutes of the second half to quell any hope of a Pilot comeback. Southeastern grew the lead to as many as 43 in a final half that saw Flowers, Huderson and Jade Brumfield make their season debuts.

Southeastern will return to the road, traveling to Alcorn State for a 6 p.m. nonconference meeting in Lorman, Mississippi.

LSU-Shreveport (4-4)
Barnes 1-9 1-2 4, D. Thompson 3-7 0-0 6, Reese 0-5 0-0 0, Collins 0-5 2-2 2, White 2-3 0-2 4, Jones 0-0 2-2 2, B. Thompson 0-3 3-4 3, Daniels 4-8 2-2 11, Smith 1-3 1-1 3, Morrison 0-1 0-0 0, Sweeney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-44 11-15 35.

Southeastern (1-2)
Carrier 6-8 4-4 19, Williams 3-6 0-0 6, Kelly 2-5 1-3 5, Ducksworth 0-3 0-0 0, Giaratano 0-5 0-0 0, Cunningham 0-1 0-2 0, Bell 2-5 3-3 7, Brown 2-4 1-2 5, Harvey 7-8 0-0 20, Horne 0-1 0-0 0, Bradford 2-2 0-1 4, Flowers 1-8 1-2 3, Brumfield 1-3 2-2 4, Huderson 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 26-62 13-21 74.

End of First Quarter – SLU 21, LSUS 4. Halftime – SLU 37, LSU 14. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 56, LSUS 27. 3-point goals – LSUS 2-19 (Barnes 1-6, Daniels 1-3, D. Thompson 0-3, Collins 0-2, B. Thompson 0-2, Smith 0-1, Sweeney 0-1), SLU 9-18 (Harvey 6-7, Carrier 3-5, Giaratano 0-2, Bell 0-2, Flowers 0-2). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – Bell. Rebounds – LSUS 34 (White, Daniels 6), SLU 41 (Williams 6). Assists – LSUS 7 (Jones 3), SLU 20 (Ducksworth, Flowers 4). Total Fouls – LSUS 18, SLU 18. A – 448.

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