Southeastern overwhelms McNeese, 87-48, to end four-game women’s hoops skid

HAMMOND, La. – All 11 Southeastern Louisiana players who saw action scored and the Lady Lions outscored McNeese, 37-10, in the fourth quarter on the way to an emphatic 87-48 victory in Southland Conference women’s basketball action Wednesday night at the University Center.

Southeastern (11-15, 8-9 Southland) snapped a four-game losing streak and completed its first season sweep of the Cowgirls (6-21, 2-15 Southland) since the 2009-10 campaign. The 39-point margin of victory was SLU’s largest versus a league opponent since an 85-46 victory at Nicholls on Jan. 31, 2009.

With the win, SLU has a one-game lead over Central Arkansas with three games remaining in the regular season for the final Southland Conference Tournament bid.

“We played as a team tonight and we needed this type of effort to get back on track,” Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. “Anytime we can play everyone and have everyone score, it’s a great night. We had a total team effort tonight and I’m proud of how we bounced back.”

Celica Sterling scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Lady Lions, while Charliee Dugas added 13 points to become the 21st student-athlete in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

“Charliee has fought through adversity on and off the court throughout her career,” Guzzardo said. “I’m super proud of her reaching this milestone and she deserves it. I’m very proud of the work she’s put in during her four years.”

SLU dominated the boards, finishing with a 45-28 rebounding advantage behind 10 rebounds apiece from Jyar Francis and Caitlyn Williams. Tyler Morrison chipped in nine points and dished out a game-high seven assists for the Lady Lions.

Three freshmen were able to post career highs in scoring for the Lady Lions. Daija Harvey (nine points), Bren’naisa Adams (seven points) and Jaylen Huderson (four points) all took advantage of limited minutes down the stretch.

SLU held McNeese to 27.6 percent (16-for-58) shooting from the floor. Williams blocked two shots for the Lady Lions, while Morrison and Alexius Horne each finished with two steals.

Damilola Balogun led the Cowgirls with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Bre’Ashlee Jones finished with a team-high five assists for the visitors.

McNeese took a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter, but Southeastern answered. The Lady Lions outscored the Cowgirls, 14-2, the rest of the period to take a 16-11 advantage into the second quarter.

Sterling scored eight of SLU’s 15 points in the second quarter. Her bucket near the end of the half sent Southeastern to a 31-21 halftime lead.

A three by Morgan Carrier gave Southeastern a 46-29 advantage midway through the third quarter. However, a three-point play by Lizzy Ratcliff cut the SLU lead to 50-38 heading into the final period.

The last 10 minutes were all Southeastern. A 14-0 run early in the period ended any Cowgirl comeback hopes. With both teams emptying the bench, Southeastern would stretch the final margin to match its most lopsided win ever over a Southland foe.

Up Next

Southeastern will close out its home schedule on Saturday at 1 p.m. versus Northwestern State in the University Center. The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of Saturday’s game. Tune in online at www.LionSports.net or the Lions Game Day Experience app for Android or iOS devices. Fans can also watch on Southeastern’s YouTube channel (/SLUathletics) with any mobile, tablet or smart TV device (e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku).

Saturday’s game will also be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio and Lions Game Day Experience apps.

Prior to Saturday’s contest, the senior class of Celica Sterling, Charliee Dugas, Tyler Morrison, Jyar Francis, Aminat Jubril and student assistant Alex Tomchek will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony at 12:40 p.m.

McNeese 48 (5-21, 2-15 SLC)

Jones 1-5 3-9 5, Balogun 3-7 2-4 8, Bolton 2-9 0-0 6, Hamilton 3-12 0-0 7, Jasper 3-12 1-2 7, Tanks 0-1 2-2 2, Gardner 2-7 0-0 4, Maddox 0-1 1-2 1, Ratcliff 1-3 4-5 6, Van Campen 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-58 13-24 48.

Southeastern Louisiana 87 (11-15, 8-9 SLC)

Carrier 2-8 1-2 6, Williams 3-6 0-0 6, Jubril 1-3 0-0 2, Sterling 8-18 2-2 21, Horne 1-2 0-0 2, Morrison 2-2 5-5 9, Dugas 3-5 7-9 13, Francis 3-7 2-5 8, Harvey 3-3 0-0 9, Huderson 2-4 0-0 4, Adams 2-2 3-4 7. Totals 30-60 20-27 87.

End of 1st Quarter – SLU 16, MCN 11. Halftime – SLU 31, MCN 21. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 50, MCN 38. 3-point goals – MCN 3-15 (Bolton 2-7, Hamilton 1-2, Gardner 0-3, Maddox 0-1, Balogun 0-1, Ratcliff 0-1), SLU 7-25 (Sterling 3-9, Harvey 3-3, Carrier 1-5, Francis 0-3, Dugas 0-2, Williams 0-1, Huderson 0-1). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – None. Rebounds – MCN 28 (Balogun 12), SLU 45 (Williams, Francis 10). Assists – MCN 9 (Jones 5), SLU 16 (Morrison 7). Total Fouls – MCN 20, SLU 16. A – 593.

TICKET INFORMATION

For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.lionsports.net/tickets.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Women’s Basketball, follow @LionUpWBB 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.