Box Score
NATCHITOCHES – A torrid first half and a game-ending 18-3 run helped Northwestern State defeat Southeastern Louisiana, 84-59, in the women's basketball regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum.
Southeastern (12-17, 6-10 Southland) will be the No. 8 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament and face regular season champion Lamar in Tuesday's first round at 6 p.m. at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
The Lady Demons (14-15, 7-9 Southland) ended a four-game losing streak and will be the No. 7 seed in next week's tournament, facing No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday.
Junior forward
Rashima Jenkins led the Lady Lions with 13 points, while freshman guard
Erica Burgess and senior forward
Zevy Ivory added 10 points apiece.
Rashima Jenkins, Burgess and senior guard
Kim Edmonson pulled down eight rebounds, as the Lady Lions dominated Northwestern State on the board, 49-35.
Junior guard Brittiany Houston led five Lady Demons in double figures with 18 points. Senior forward Sherrion Thomas (17 points), senior guard Lyndzee Greene (11 points), senior guard Anna Cate Williams (11 points) and junior forward Jessica McPhail (10 points) were the other top scorers for the Lady Demons.
Northwestern State opened the game with a 14-3 run and later stretched the lead to as many as 20 in the opening half. The Lady Demons hit 55.9 percent (19-for-34) from the floor in the first half to take a 52-34 lead into the break.
Southeastern fought back early in the second half and a
Rashima Jenkins bucket with 13:40 left capped a 14-4 run that pulled Southeastern within eight at 56-48. Northwestern State kept the lead at that or higher for the next several minutes, but a three by Ivory kept Southeastern within striking distance at 66-56 with 7:06 left.
However, the Lady Lions would not make another shot from the floor for the remainder of the game. Northwestern State led by as many as 26 down the stretch.
All of the Lady Lion games at the Southland Conference Tournament will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
