Williams, Underwood lead SLU past LSU-A, 96-78, in women’s hoops exhibition

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana freshman forward Caitlyn Williams posted a double-double with 20 points and 23 rebounds, while senior guard Taylin Underwood added 20 points to pace the Lady Lions’ 96-78 exhibition victory over LSU Alexandria Friday night in the University Center.

Underwood and Caitlyn Williams paced a balanced effort for the Lady Lions, as nine different players scored for first-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo’s squad. LSU Alexandria lost its second exhibition of 2017-18, having fallen at UL Lafayette, 86-48, on Tuesday night.

“A win is a win, but there’s definitely things we need to work on before we open up on Friday,” Guzzardo said. “We were pleased with the effort on the offensive end, but we have to be better defensively. Allowing 78 points isn’t good enough.”

The Lions had a total of three players in double figures, as junior guard Jaclyn Scholvin added 11 points. Junior guard Ashailee Brailey, sophomore guard Courtney Dawsey and senior forward Tytiana Hall contributed nine points apiece, while sophomore guard Tyler Morrison chipped in with eight points.

Caitlyn Williams, Underwood (nine rebounds) and junior forward Kyla Williams (six rebounds) helped SLU finish with a 57-48 rebounding advantage. Dawsey and Underwood paced Southeastern with five assists apiece, while Caitlyn Williams and Brailey had two steals apiece.

“Caitlyn had a double-double in the first half and really stood out with her performance in her first game,” Guzzardo commented. “We had a lot of people step up for us tonight. Courtney gave us great minutes off the bench and really played well.”

Senior forward Lillie Snowden (21 points, 11 rebounds) and junior forward E’Layzha Bates (10 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for LSU-A. Senior guard Katie Lemieux (14 points), senior guard Jena Mabile (11 points) and junior guard Marqueisha Thompson (11 points) gave the Generals five players in double figures.

After a tightly-contested first quarter, SLU started to pull away late in the second quarter. Underwood and Caitlyn Williams combined for 14 points in an 18-4 run that freshman wing Morgan Carrier capped with a three-pointer that sent Southeastern into halftime with a 43-27 lead.

The Generals would get as close as 14 in the third quarter after a three by Mabile cut the SLU lead to 52-38 with 5:55 remaining in the period. However, Dawsey scored seven points during a 13-4 Lady Lion run that put SLU up 65-42 after a three by the Hammond, Louisiana native with 1:44 left in the quarter.

Southeastern would head into the final quarter with a 69-46 advantage. The lead would grow to as many as 27 points as the Lady Lions were never threatened in the final stretch.

Southeastern will officially open the 2017-18 season next Friday, Nov. 10. The Lady Lions will host Alcorn State at 5 p.m. in the University Center. The game with Alcorn will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive. LionVision subscribers will be able to access a live video stream at www.LionSports.net/watch.

Carrier and Caitlyn Williams will be next Friday’s Spotlight Players of the Game and the first 150 fans will receive trading cards featuring the Lady Lion freshmen duo, courtesy of PRIDE.

LSU Alexandria 78
Bates 5-13 0-5 10, Snowden 5-15 7-9 20, Harris 0-2 0-2 0, Lemieux 5-16 3-3 14, Mabile 4-8 2-4 11, Rhymes 3-5 0-2 6, Smith 1-5 2-2 5, Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Hewitt 0-2 1-2 1, Thompson 4-10 3-4 11. Totals 27-76 18-33 78.
Southeastern Lousiana 96
K. Williams 1-4 5-8 7, C. Williams 9-10 0-0 20, Underwood 6-15 6-6 20, Morrison 3-8 1-2 8, Brailey 4-15 0-0 9, Dawsey 3-4 2-2 9, Hall 4-8 1-2 9, Carrier 1-7 0-2 3, Tate 0-1 -0-0 0, Bush 0-0 0-0 0, Scholvin 3-5 4-4 11. Totals.
End of 1st Quarter – SLU 21, LSU-A 18. Halftime – SLU 43, LSU-A 27. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 69, LSU-A 46. 3-point goals – LSU-A 6-24 (Snowden 3-8, Lemieux 1-5, Mabile 1-5, Smith 1-3, Bates 0-1, Harris 0-1, Thompson 0-1), SLU 9-30 (Underwood 2-9, C. Williams 2-2, Brailey 1-10, Carrier 1-5, Scholvin 1-2, Morrison 1-1, Daswey 1-1). Technical Fouls – None. Rebounds – LSU-A 48 (Bates, Snowden 11), SLU 57 (C. Williams 23). Assists – LSU-A 13 (Mabile 6), SLU 21 (Underwood, Dawsey 5). Fouled Out – Hewitt, K. Williams. Total Fouls – LSU-A 22, SLU 26. A – 531.