Southeastern hands ACU first league loss in 74-71 thriller

HAMMOND, La. – Abilene Christian’s Alyssa Adams missed a potential game-tying three-point field goal at the buzzer and Southeastern Louisiana held off the visiting Wildcats for a 74-71 victory in Southland Conference women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon in the University Center.

SLU (7-7, 2-1 Southland) netted 52.2 percent (12-for-23) of its three-point field goal attempts, shot 52.0 percent (26-for-50) from the field and had four players score in double figures on the way to its second straight victory. The Wildcats, who came into Saturday’s game as one of three teams undefeated in Southland play, fell to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in conference action.

“Everyone did their job today and today’s win was a total team effort,” Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. “We needed everyone today against a very good Abilene Christian team. We hit some big shots, but the key was our activity on the defensive end.”

Southeastern led by as many as 13 in a second quarter that saw the Lady Lions shoot 69.2 percent (9-for-13) from the floor. However, ACU cut the halftime deficit to four and the second half featured five lead changes.

ACU took a 71-68 lead on a pair of free throws by Breanna Wright with 2:38 remaining. However, SLU would close the game on a 6-0 run to earn the victory.

First, Kyla Williams sank both free throws to pull the Lady Lions within one with 2:14 left. After an Abilene Christian turnover, Kyla Williams found a wide open Caitlyn Williams under the basket for an easy layup and a 72-71 advantage that Southeastern would not relinquish.

On their next possession, the Wildcats missed three shots but kept possession with three offensive rebounds. Southeastern finally got it back on a steal by Tyler Morrison with 40 seconds left.

Southeastern added to its lead on its final offensive trip. Celica Sterling banked in a contested shot from the right wing to give the Lady Lions a 74-71 advantage.

Adams missed her first three attempt with 10 seconds remaining, but the loose ball went out of bounds off of SLU. Adams got free for the potential game-winner from the left wing, but it drew back iron and Caitlyn Williams snagged the rebound to close out the win for Southeastern.

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence and developing a better understanding of what it takes to be successful,” Guzzardo commented. “We’ve still got a lot of growing to do, but I’m proud of the strides we’ve made in our two seasons. That progress is due to the caliber of young women we have in our program.”

Southeastern had its most balanced scoring attack of the season in Saturday’s win. Sterling once again paced Southeastern with 21 points, while Kyla Williams matched her career-high with 11 points. Jaclyn Scholvin and Charliee Dugas joined them in double figures with 10 points each, while Caitlyn Williams and Morgan Carrier were right behind with nine points.

Caitlyn Williams also led SLU with six rebounds. Southeastern forced ACU into 18 turnovers, behind Morrison’s game-high four steals. Morrison also led Southeastern with a career-high-tying seven assists, as the Lady Lions finished with an efficient 17 assists versus just 13 turnovers.

Wright led four Wildcats in double figures with 20 points, followed by Lexie Ducat (16 points), Dominique Golightly (13 points) and Sara Williamson (10 points). Adams paced Abilene Christian with nine rebounds, while Williamson dished out a team-high four assists.

The Lady Lions will open up the road portion of their league schedule on Wednesday. SLU will travel to Beaumont, Texas to face defending Southland regular season champion Lamar at 7 p.m. in the Montagne Center.

The SLU-LU contest can be heard live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Game Day Experience, Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps.

Abilene Christian 71 (10-5, 3-1 SLC)
Mabry 1-4 0-0 3, Ducat 6-10 4-7 16, Golightly 5-10 0-0 13, Wright 7-14 4-4 20, Williamson 3-10 3-5 10, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Herrera 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 1-2 2-3 4, Adams 1-3 3-4 5. Totals 24-53 16-23 71.
Southeastern Louisiana 74 (7-7, 2-1 SLC)
K. Williams 4-6 3-4 11, C. Williams 4-7 1-2 9, Sterling 6-15 4-4 21, Scholvin 4-8 0-4 10, Morrison 0-1 1-2 1, Carrier 3-3 0-0 9, Dugas 4-6 1-2 10, Bush 0-0 0-0 0, Brailey 1-3 0-0 3, Jubril 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 10-18 74.
End of 1st Quarter – SLU 20, ACU 18. Halftime – SLU 45, ACU 41. End of 3rd Quarter – ACU 60, SLU 58. 3-point goals – ACU 7-22 (Golightly 3-5, Wright 2-5, Mabry 1-4, Williamson 1-4, Adams 0-2, Ducat 0-1, Miller 0-1), SLU 12-23 (Sterling 5-11, Carrier 3-3, Scholvin 2-5, Dugas 1-2, Brailey 1-2). Fouled Out – Mabry. Technical Fouls – Carrier. Rebounds – ACU