Southeastern women’s basketball (4-7) will look to snap a four-game losing streak tonight on the road against Nicholls (6-6) at David R. Stopher Gymnasium.

The game is the Southland Conference opener for both squads as SLU looks to kick-start its title defense after claiming its first SLC crown in school history a year ago.

The Lady Lions double dipped in the 2022-23 season, winning a share of the regular season championship as well as the conference tournament.

The Green and Gold finished tied with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 14-4 apiece in SLC play but swept the head-to-head regular season series with the Islanders 2-0.

Non-conference action has been far less fruitful for Southeastern this season, as the team sits at three games below .500; they haven’t won a game since Nov. 28.

During the recent slump, SLU has faced some stiff competition in the form of Kansas, South Alabama, Oregon State and Tulsa, three of which were played away from home, including the most recent two in Maui.

While the Southland Conference is nothing to scoff at, Nicholls shouldn’t provide as tough a test for the Lady Lions, at least on paper.

The Colonels are coming off an abysmal 5-24 (2-16 SLC) campaign but currently sit at .500 and do possess a couple of quality wins over Tulane and South Alabama, the former of which beat Southeastern at the University Center less than a month ago.

Sophomore forward Lexi Alexander has led the way for Nicholls, averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game while also pacing the squad in rebounds with 5.5 per contest.

The 6’0 Round Rock, Texas native also has the most blocks amongst her Colonel teammates with six on the season and is second in total steals with 18.

It’s safe to say that Alexander presents a problem for any opposition, which is nothing new considering she won Southland Conference Freshman of the Year a season ago.

True freshman guard Britiya Curtis isn’t far behind Alexander in the points department for the Colonels, averaging 10.3 per game, while fellow freshman backcourt mate Betzalys Delgado ranks second in the Southland with 3.5 assists per outing.

Nicholls has relied on their trio of underclassmen, ,whereas Southeastern has turned to senior guard Hailey Giaratano.

The SLU mainstay is averaging a career-best 13.2 points per game, good for fifth in the SLC while dishing 3.1 dimes per contest, which ranks fourth in the conference.

Newcomer Cheyanne Daniels has been a force down low for the Lady Lions this season, putting up 9.8 points per game to pair with a team-high 4.9 rebounds as well as recording 10 blocks in 11 games.

The transfer forward from Shawnee Community College figures to match up against Alexander in the paint, representing a battle worth watching with major implications for the outcome of this upcoming contest.

Nicholls comes into this one scoring 62.7 points per game while giving up 60.8.

Southeastern averages 61.1 points per game, allowing just 56.4.

The River Bell Classic will take to the hardwood at 6:30 p.m. tonight and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Radio listeners can tune into 90.9 The Lion and as always, stay posted to The Lion’s Roar for further Lady Lions basketball coverage.