Southeastern stifles UCA for third straight Southland women’s hoops victory

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana held Central Arkansas to 15 second-half points on the way to a 63-42 victory over the Sugar Bears in Southland Conference women’s basketball action Wednesday night in the University Center.

Southeastern (8-11, 5-5 Southland) extended its win streak to three games, marking the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Lady Lions have won three straight Southland Conference contests. UCA fell to 8-11 overall and 4-6 in league play, as the Sugar Bears’ point total was the lowest allowed by SLU versus a conference opponent since a 71-41 win over then-league foe UT Arlington on Feb. 18, 2012.

Celica Sterling, the reigning Louisiana Player of the Week, scored all of her game-high 19 points in the second half, as SLU outscored Central Arkansas, 36-15, in the final 20 minutes after the game was deadlocked at the break.

Caitlyn Williams chipped in with her third double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Alexius Horne set a new career-high with a game-high nine assists.

“Our defense was the difference in the second half,” Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. “We locked in as a team on that end of the floor and that fueled our offense.”

Sterling shook off a 0-for-7 showing from the floor in the opening half to lead SLU in scoring for the third straight game. The senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana finished 8-for-10 from the floor in the second half to ignite the SLU rally.

“Celica’s our go-to scorer,” Guzzardo said. “We know and she knows that she can hit tough shots. Once she got her confidence back in the second half, she was lights out.”

With their third straight victory, Southeastern has already surpassed its conference win total from a season ago midway through the league season. While Guzzardo is pleased with her team’s progress in her third season, she’s also quick to remind her team that there’s still much to be accomplished.

“We’re going to keep playing like we’re in last place,” Guzzardo said. “We have to play like we haven’t accomplished anything, because we haven’t. This group has a great attitude, but we have to keep pushing and fighting every day.”

Southeastern held the visitors to 31.8 percent (14-for-44) shooting for the game. Alana Canady was the lone Sugar Bear in double figures with 10 points, while Taylor Sells led Central Arkansas with three assists. Hannah Langhi pulled down a team-high six rebounds for UCA.

Neither team led by more than four points in a back-and-forth opening half. The initial 20 minutes featured eight lead changes and six ties, ending deadlocked at 27-27.

Williams led SLU at the half with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Canady paced Central Arkansas with six points in the opening two quarters.

Southeastern took control in the third quarter, holding UCA scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter and without a field goal for the first 6:26 of the period. Sterling went 4-for-4 from the floor – with the final shot a three – to ignite a 12-3 run to start the quarter. SLU went into the final period with a 43-36 cushion.

Any hope of a Central Arkansas comeback was dashed early in the fourth quarter. Sterling hit a couple of threes to fuel a 10-2 run over the first five minutes of the period that extended the Southeastern lead to 51-36. UCA would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way, as SLU defeated the Sugar Bears at home for the third straight season.

Central Arkansas 42 (8-11, 4-6 SLC)
B. Trigg 1-5 4-8 6, A. Trigg 2-5 0-0 4, Langhi 2-5 0-0 4, Sells 3-9 1-2 8, Hudspeth 2-7 2-2 7, Dominguez 1-2 0-0 3, Canady 3-8 4-6 10, Crawford 0-3 0-0 0, Walker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-44 11-18 42.
Southeastern Louisiana 63 (8-11, 5-5 SLC)
Carrier 2-7 2-4 7, Williams 5-6 4-5 14, Jubril 3-4 0-0 6, Sterling 8-17 0-0 19, Horne 2-5 1-4 5, Dugas 2-8 0-0 4, Francis 2-5 0-0 4, Giaratano 1-2 0-0 2, Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Adams 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-65 7-13 63.
End of 1st Quarter – SLU 12, UCA 12. Halftime – SLU 27, UCA 27. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 43, UCA 36. 3-point goals – UCA 3-15 (Hudspeth 1-5, Sells 1-3, Dominguez 1-2), SLU 4-12 (Sterling 3-5, Carrier 1-2, Dugas 0-2, Williams 0-1, Horne 0-1, Francis 0-1). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – None. Rebounds – UCA 36 (Langhi 6), SLU 30 (Williams 10). Assists – UCA 6 (Sells 3), SLU 14 (Horne 9). Total Fouls – UCA 18, SLU 20. A – 592.

Up Next
Southeastern continues its home stand on Saturday, hosting New Orleans at 1 p.m. in the University Center. The game will be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Gameday Experience and TuneInRadio apps.

The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of the SLU-UNO contest. 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 is also Military & Local Hero Appreciation Day. Fans with a valid military service or unit member (police, EMT, firefighter, etc.) ID can present it at the ticket office before game day or the ticket window on game day and receive two free tickets to Saturday’s SLU-UNO contest. Contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 for more information.

Tyler Morrison will be Saturday’s Spotlight Player of the Game. The first 150 fans will receive a trading card featuring the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native courtesy of PRIDE.