Southeastern secures its first road win of the season after a thrilling 63-57 victory over Memphis. photo by Don Mooney
by Don Mooney. 11-20-2024
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women’s basketball team gained its first road win of the season with a thrilling 63-57 victory over Memphis Tuesday evening at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Southeastern (3-1) came out to a rough start, but moved past Memphis (2-3) off a late fourth quarter run led by Alexius Horne with 18 points and five rebounds, shooting 4-of-4 from the stripe and 7-15 from the field. Cheyanne Daniels also contributed 12 points and six rebounds in the win, shooting 4-8 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line to seal the deal.
photo by Don Mooney
SLU finished the game with balanced scoring as seniors Taylor Bell and Arianna Patton tied with seven points to help the team on the road. The Lady Lions secured a season high 46 points in the paint as SLU found its rhythm to surge its second half run. Southeastern closed out the game with 15 points off Memphis 17 turnovers, 13 bench points and 11 points off fast break opportunities.
Memphis came out to a quick 19-4 run in the first quarter to take control of the game, shooting 55.6 percent from the three-point line led by fifth-year senior Tilly Boler (23 points). Boler led all scorers in the matchup and acquired the hot hand early in the contest, shooting 2-3 from behind the arch in the first quarter. The Tigers dominated on the boards to attain a 17-6 rebounding advantage over the Lady Lions to end the quarter after eight points gained off second chance opportunities. Memphis set the tone early to secure its best 13-point scoring run fueled by Boler and Tanyuel Welch (seven points), 19-4.
photo by Don Mooney
The Tigers continued to extend its lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Southeastern recovered midway in the second quarter as Horne stepped up with back-to-back buckets to earn SLU’s best six-point scoring run. The Lady Lions continued to fight on the defensive end and gained six points off the Tigers’ turnovers. Southeastern found an edge to secure a 14-10-point advantage in the paint, shooting 64.3 percent from the field. SLU weathered the storm to win the second quarter with a 21-16-point advantage to close out the first half down by ten points, 35-25.
Photo by Don Mooney
As the tide of momentum continued to turn in Southeastern’s favor, the Lady Lions came out to a solid start in the second half with a 19-9-point edge. SLU turned up its defensive pressure to force Memphis into shooting 11.8 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from the three-point line. Jalencia Pierre (six points), Lexi Alexander (six points) and Tyreona Sibley (five points) each chipped in solid buckets in the third quarter to tie the game 44-44.
Memphis worked to regain the momentum in the fourth quarter as Quinzia Fulmore (eight points) continued to battle on the boards to snag extra possessions for the Tigers. Fulmore and Allasia Smith (seven points) closed out the game with a combined 29 rebounds in an exceptional effort to defend their home court, but Southeastern refused to be denied. The Lady Lions valued each possession and continued to pressure the Tigers into costly turnovers. SLU gained its second 19-point quarter to gain the lead late in the game and flip the script after three lead changes. Southeastern held Memphis well below its average to secure the win on the road.