Women’s Hoops: SLU rallies past McNeese, 69-68, to stay unbeaten in Southland play

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University senior center Morgan Davis completed a three-point play with 22.9 seconds remaining to give the Southland Conference-leading Lady Lions a 69-68 victory over McNeese in a Southland women’s basketball thriller Thursday evening inside the Legacy Center.

Southeastern (10-6, 6-0 Southland) led for a total of 37 seconds, but did just enough to continue its best-ever Southland start. The host Cowgirls (8-11, 3-3 Southland) saw their three-game winning streak snapped, as the Lady Lions rallied from down 11 points to win the first of two meetings with their in-state rival.

“McNeese is a tough, well-coached team and this was a back-and-forth battle,” SLU head coach Ayla Guzzardo commented. “I was just so proud of the level-headedness our team played with. We trailed the majority of the game, but we never kept fighting.”

Trailing 68-66 with 34.1 seconds remaining, Chrissy Brown found Davis on the right block and the Orlando, Florida tied the score despite a foul by Divine Tanks. Playing in just her 10th collegiate game, Davis calmly sunk the go-ahead free throw to give Southeastern its first lead since the opening minutes.

“We – her coaches and her teammates – have a lot of confidence in Morgan,” Guzzardo commented. “Most importantly, she has a lot of confidence in herself. She has excellent hands, timing and touch around the rim, so there was no hesitation calling that play for her.”

McNeese had one more chance to hand Southeastern its first Southland loss. Desirae Hansen backed in against Caitlyn Williams as the final seconds ticked off, but a late double team by Hailey Giaratano allowed Williams to knock the ball away into the hands of Giaratano as time expired.

Davis was of three Lady Lions in double figures, along with Brown and Williams who contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively. Williams and Brown also led SLU with eight rebounds each.

Southeastern finished with 20 assists versus just 13 turnovers. Breonca Ducksworth returned from a two-game absence with eight assists, while Giaratano dished out six dimes for the second straight game. Williams paced the Lady Lion defensive effort with three steals and a pair of blocked shots.

McNeese was able to lead throughout the majority of the game due to its outside shooting, as the Southland’s top three-point shooting team connected on 10 shots from long range. Zuzanna Kulinska led the Cowgirls with 19 points. She was joined in double figures by Hansen (17 points), Kalli Chamberlin (11 points) and Cristina Gil (11 points).

Tanks and Hansen paced McNeese with seven rebounds apiece. Kulinska added four steals, while Hansen blocked a team-high two shots.

SLU will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to HBU for a 2 p.m. contest. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive.

Southeastern 69 (10-6, 6-0 SLC)
Carrier 3-6 0-0 6, Williams 6-14 2-7 14, Brown 6-11 0-1 12, Ducksworth 3-5 0-0 6, Giaratano 2-4 2-2 6, Bell 1-3 0-0 2, Davis 8-12 3-3 19, Harvey 1-5 0-0 2, Kelly 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 31-64 7-13 69.
McNeese 68 (8-11, 3-3 SLC)
Tanks 3-7 0-0 6, Chamberlin 4-10 0-0 11, Gil 4-11 1-2 11, Kulinska 7-13 4-4 19, Hansen 5-11 3-3 17, Stubblefield 2-5 0-0 4, Skripina 0-2 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 0-0 0, Rosini 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 8-9 68.
End of 1st Quarter – MCN 16, SLU 12. Halftime – MCN 34, SLU 26. End of 3rd Quarter – MCN 53, SLU 46. 3-point goals – SLU 0-7 (Harvey 0-3, Carrier 0-2, Brown 0-1, Bell 0-1), MCN 10-30 (Hansen 4-10, Chamberlin 3-6, Gil 2-7, Kulinska 1-4, Stubbefield 0-2, Rosini 0-1). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – Tanks. Rebounds – SLU 40 (Williams, Brown 8), MCN 33 (Tanks, Hansen 7). Assists – SLU 20 (Ducksworth 8), MCN 14 (Gil 4). Total Fouls – SLU 18, MCN 22. A – 1,130

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