Following a midseason slump, the Green and Gold won their third straight game against the McNeese State Cowboys in an overtime thriller. After they fell behind by 12 points, the Lions stormed back to defeat the Cowboys 78-75. 

SLU improved their record to 17-13 (11-6 SLC) and said farewell to the University Center with a 10-4 record at home for the season. 

Guard Boogie Anderson tied his career-high of 24 points, which he set last Saturday at Texas A&M-Commerce in their buzzer-beating win. 

Anderson also shot 10-18 (55%) from the field and pulled down seven rebounds. 

Southeastern had three more players score in double figures: Nick Caldwell (14), Roger McFarlane (12) and Roscoe Eastmond (11). 

This comeback marks the joint largest of the season for the Green and Gold in conference play (14 points three different times), and their win earned them a one-game bye at the Southland Conference Tournament. 

Southeastern found themselves in a 34-22 hole in the first half of the ballgame. They shot 25.8% from the field and 11.1% from the three-point line. However, coming into the second, SLU outscored McNeese 47-35. 

The Lions shot 55.8% from the field, and Anderson scored 15 of his 24 points in the second period.

Southeastern also out-muscled McNeese on the glass in the second half. After getting outrebounded 27-19 in the first, Southeastern won the rebound battle 24-19 in the second period. 

“I thought we came out sloppy in the first half and didn’t play our style of basketball; however, in the second half, our offense flowed better, the ball didn’t stick and we converted on good looks. This is a key win for us because we locked up the first-round bye in the conference tournament. No team has won the tournament without at least one bye, so securing this is certainly big for us,” said head coach David Kiefer. 

Down by 1 with 1:25 remaining, Anderson got to the free throw line and made one out of two to tie the ballgame at 69 apiece. After a missed jumper by McNeese, the game went into overtime. 

The Cowboys scored the first points of the extra period, but Eastmond scored the next five for SLU. He converted on a scoop lay-up, then made a three-pointer from the left wing to give Southeastern a 74-71 lead. In total, Eastmond scored seven of SLU’s nine overtime points and made all of his baskets.

His efforts in OT propelled Southeastern over McNeese. 

The Lions concluded their regular season in Houston against HCU on Wednesday night with an 80-64 victory over the Huskies, good for their fourth straight win. 

SLU (18-13, (12-6 SLC)) earned themselves the third seed and a one-game bye in the Southland Conference Tournament, which started Sunday in Lake Charles. 

Southeastern rode their strong offensive display to a 16-point win over Houston Christian, as four members of the Green and Gold finished in double-figures: Roger McFarlane (17), Brody Rowbury (16), Boogie Anderson (15) and Nick Caldwell (10). 

HCU was out-rebounded 41-30 and turned the ball over 17 times resulting in 24 points for SLU. 

The Green and Gold will face seventh-seeded UNO who defeated sixth-seeded HCU 90-69 last night in a first-round bout. 

The Lions are 2-0 against the Privateers this season and will look to make it three come tomorrow in Lake Charles. 

Tip-off is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 pm and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

Stay tuned for further Southeastern basketball coverage as the Southland Conference Tournament progresses.