LAKE CHARLES, La. (WGNO) — The Southeastern Lady Lions outscored Lamar 26-11 in the third quarter to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit and win the Southland Conference Tournament in Lake Charles, La., on Thursday.
With the 66-57 victory over the No. 3 Cardinals, the top-seeded Lady Lions earned Southeastern its first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Taylor Bell capped a 9-0 run with a long-range jumper to tie the game at 42 with 3:40 to play in the third. Then Bell hit a 3-pointer with 2 minutes remaining in the quarter to give the Southland regular-season champions the lead, 48-47.
Bell scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the second half.
All-SLC guard Alexius Horne.
“We lost a key player in Alexius, but we didn’t have any doubt that this team could get it done,” said Southeastern head coach and SLC Coach of the Year Ayla Guzzardo of the Lions’ injured first-team All-SLC guard Alexius Horne. “We knew Lamar was phenomenally coached and was going to make us work for everything. But we played and won as a team.”
Southeastern’s Hailey Giaratano was named tournament MVP.
