Southeastern defeated No. 5 Texas A&M-Commerce 60-58 to advance to the Jersey Mike’s Southland Conference Championship Game. 

The Lady Lions continue to improve upon their season, now at 20-9 (14-4 SLC). Guard Hailey Giaratano made the go-ahead basket with 0.4 seconds remaining in overtime. 

Giaratano and freshman guard Jen Pierre combined for 31 points to lift Southeastern past TAMC. 

Pierre also recorded a career-high in steals with five, while senior guard Cierria Cunningham chipped in seven points with a game-high nine rebounds. 

SLU’s bench also played a pivotal role in the win; they outscored Texas A&M Commerce 16-5. 

Defensively, the Lady Lions forced 22 turnovers and converted them into 21 points. They also scored 12 fastbreak points to TAMC’s zero.

Southeastern started the game on fire in the first quarter. They scored 21 points while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from three. SLU also held TAMC to 14 points on 4 of 12 (33.3%) shooting. 

However, during the second and third quarters, SLU scored just 17 points on 7 of 28 (25%) shooting. After three-quarters of action, Southeastern found themselves in a 45-38 hole. 

To open up the fourth quarter, the Green and Gold went on a 9-3 to make the score 48-47. Texas A&M-Commerce then went on a 6-0 run to go up 54-47 with 2:39 remaining in the last quarter. 

Down the stretch of the game, Southeastern came back with a pair of buckets from Pierre and junior guard Alexius Horne. Giaratano tied the game up at 54 apiece with 25 seconds left in regulation. 

In the overtime period, Giaratano starred again by hitting both the game-tying and the go-ahead buckets. Her efforts gave the Lady Lions a chance to bring home a title to Hammond, America. 

Southeastern will meet their title destiny against No. 3 Lamar today at 4 p.m. in Lake Charles.

To watch the ending of the Southland Tournament, tune into ESPNU to catch the game live.