Southeastern drops 72-53 decision at Louisiana Tech

RUSTON, La. – Charliee Dugas led Southeastern Louisiana with 16 points, but it was not enough as the Lady Lions fell, 72-53, at Louisiana Tech in non-conference women’s basketball action Wednesday evening at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Dugas’ scoring output was not able to allow SLU (4-3) to overcome a season-high 23 turnovers and a steady dose of Louisiana Tech’s Kierra Anthony. Anthony, the reigning Louisiana Player of the Week, poured in 25 points on just 16 shots to send the Lady Techsters (6-3) to the win in the first meeting between the in-state rivals since the 1998-99 season.

Dugas was one of a pair of Lady Lions in double figures, as Celica Sterling netted 14 points – all in the second half. Jaclyn Scholvin added eight points, while also pacing Southeastern with game-high totals of five assists and four steals. Kyla Williams led SLU off the bench with seven rebounds.

Anthony was one of three Lady Techsters in double figures, as Amber Dixon and Raizel Guinto contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively. LTU’s Grayson Bright led all players with nine rebounds, while Zhanae Whitney grabbed eight rebounds. Guinto and Taylor Stahly paced Tech with four assists each.

The two teams played to a stand still through the first three-plus minutes, as Scholvin hit a free throw to cut the Louisiana Tech lead to 6-5 with 6:31 remaining in the opening quarter. However, the Lady Techsters held SLU scoreless for the next 4:28 and took a 19-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Louisiana Tech opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run and Southeastern got no closer than 13 for the remainder of the half. The Lady Techsters went into the break with a 36-20 lead.

Any chance of a Southeastern comeback was thwarted early in the second half. After Dugas opened the third quarter with a three to cut the lead to 13, LTU scored the next nine points to stretch the lead to 45-23 on a three-point play by Whitney.

Southeastern could never get back within striking distance. The lead would grow to as much as 27 and the Lady Lions got no closer than 16 the rest of the way.

Wednesday’s game was the first of two on the road this week for the Lady Lions. On Saturday, Southeastern will be at Alabama A&M for a 3 p.m. non-conference contest. Fans can receive in-game updates on Saturday at www.twitter.com/sluathletics and live stats, provided by the hosts, will be accessible on the women’s basketball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

Southeastern Louisiana 53 (4-3)
Dugas 6-18 3-5 16, Scholvin 3-12 1-2 8, Morrison 0-2 0-0 0, C. Williams 3-6 0-1 6, Brailey 0-6 3-4 3, K. Williams 0-3 2-2 2, Rivers 0-1 0-0 0, Sterling 5-9 0-0 14, Jubril 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 19-60 9-14 53.
Louisiana Tech 72 (6-3)
Guinto 3-13 2-2 11, Anthony 10-16 4-4 25, Bright 0-5 3-4 3, Stahly 0-6 0-0 0, Whitney 2-2 1-3 5, Lang 1-1 0-0 2, Dixon 3-3 7-8 15, McCutcheon 1-3 0-2 2, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Cleaver 2-4 0-0 4, McDonald 1-4 0-0 2, Alexander 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 24-59 18-25 72.
End of 1st Quarter – LTU 19, SLU 9. Halftime – LTU 36, SLU 20. End of 3rd Quarter – LTU 53, SLU 36. 3-point goals – SLU 6-23 (Sterling 4-7, Dugas 1-6, Scholvin 1-5, Brailey 0-4, C. Williams 0-1), LTU 6-25 (Guinto 3-9, Dixon 2-2, Anthony 1-3, Stahly 0-6, McDonald 0-2, Bright 0-1, McCutcheon 0-1, Cleaver 0-1). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – C. Williams, Scholvin. Rebounds – SLU 37 (K. Williams 7), LTU 45 (Bright 9). Assists – SLU 12 (Scholvin 5), LTU 16 (Guinto, Stahly 4). Total Fouls – SLU 23, LTU 18. A – 1,154.

TICKET INFORMATION
For ticket information on the Southeastern women’s basketball season, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.lionsports.net/tickets.

SEASON OF GIVING
Southeastern Louisiana Athletics, the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs will hold a food drive throughout the months of November and December. Fans who bring one of the requested items to the University Center (game day only) or the Dugas Center for Southeastern Athletics will receive a voucher for a discounted ticket.

All items will be donated to the SLU Food Pantry. Requested items include snack bars, tuna, soup, cereal, pop tarts, macaroni and cheese, cup noodles, pasta, ramen noodles, chili, black beans, red beans, dry beans, peanut butter, jelly, Vienna sausage, rice, instant rice, instant potatoes, microwave meals, fruit cups, mouthwash, shampoo and toothpaste.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women’s Basketball, follow @SoutheasternWBB on Twitter, like /SoutheasternWBB on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.