Southeastern women’s basketball fell to 4-7 on the season following two successive defeats to Oregon State (10-0) and Tulsa (10-3) in Maui the past two nights. 

SLU lost to the Beavers 92-69 on Tuesday night (Dec. 19) before coming up agonizingly short against the Golden Hurricane last night (Dec. 20), 48-47. 

Senior guard Hailey Giaratano’s season-high 24 points weren’t enough against Oregon State in the Lady Lions’ first matchup of their Hawaiian holiday. 

The Ponchatoula native matched a career-best in scoring against the Beavers on an uber-efficient 11/14 shooting from the field. 

Junior guard Taylor Bell added 12 points to Southeastern’s tally, including a team-high seven rebounds. 

Contrary to the final score, SLU actually led 10-4 early on, just over five minutes into the game.

However, an 11-2 OSU run over the final 4:43 of play in the first quarter gave the favorites a 15-12 advantage heading into the second. 

The Beavers then exploded to the tune of 30 second-quarter points for a commanding 45-24 halftime lead. It was the most points allowed in a single quarter by the Lady Lions all season and all but put the contest on ice with an entire second half of action yet to play. 

Southeastern showed fight over the final two quarters, only being outscored by a bucket, 47-45, and proved they could battle with an undefeated Power Five opponent. 

SLU’s next matchup in Maui proved to be much lower scoring than the first. In a cagey affair with Tulsa, both teams fell shy of 50 points while defense was at the forefront. 

The Green and Gold controlled the contest virtually from start to finish and held the Golden Hurricane to their lowest-scoring output of the season. A gritty first-half performance saw the Lady Lions on top 26-19 at the half. 

However, a disappointing third quarter for Southeastern allowed Tulsa to tie the game at 38 heading into the fourth. 

In a back-and-forth final period of play, SLU seemingly did enough to come away with a victory after sophomore guard Jalencia Pierre sank a close-range jumper with just four seconds to play, putting the Lady Lions in front 47-46. 

On the final possession by the Golden Hurricane, junior guard Delanie Crawford drew a crucial foul with a mere second remaining and headed to the free-throw line to shoot two. 

The Oklahoma native calmly sank both foul shots as the final two points of her game-high 20 total pushed Tulsa over the line in heartbreaking fashion for Southeastern. 

Bell paced SLU with 15 points, while Pierre chipped in 12. Junior Shawnee Community College transfer forward Cheyanne Daniels added nine along with 13 rebounds, good for the newcomer’s most in a Lady Lions jersey. 

Southeastern ultimately slumped to four straight defeats for 2023 and will hope the new year treats them substantially better against fellow Southland foes. 

SLU’s non-conference slate is officially over as the squad makes its way back to the mainland. 

The Green and Gold should be battle tested heading into conference play having faced four Power Five opponents in No. 25 Mississippi State, No. 7 LSU, Kansas and Oregon State. 

Mid-majors Wichita State, South Alabama and Tulsa round out the stiff competition faced prior to SLC play. 

As the Lady Lions venture home to Hammond, they’ll be granted a deserved Christmas break until they christen the new year against Nicholls (6-6) in Thibodaux on Jan. 4, 2024.

For further news regarding Southeastern women’s basketball, stay tuned to The Lions Roar.