Looking to build upon last season’s semifinal conference finish, the Lions laid a solid foundation in their season and home opener last Friday night at the University Center. Southeastern dominated the court in an impressive 91-45 victory over the Millsaps Majors.
Senior guard Trent Hutchin provided the early excitement and an optimistic season outlook, scoring the Lions’ first 18 points in the contest on five 3-pointers within the first four minutes of regulation. The Baton Rouge native led all scorers with 21 points on the night, finishing seven-for-10 from the floor and six-for-nine from behind the arc.
Southeastern (1-0), under the tutelage of head coach Jim Yarbrough, fired 61 percent from the floor throughout the contest, helping them take a 45-24 halftime lead.
Hutchin began the ballgame at a lightening pace, sinking his first four shots, all from the perimeter, and topped it off with a four-point play after drawing a foul and swishing a three-point bucket with 17:27 yet to play through the first. The Lions led 13-2 when Hutchin struck from behind the arc yet again, nailing his fifth 3-pointer at the 16:22 mark to put them up 16-2. Prior to subbing out to catch a breather, Hutchin scored a two-point bucket off a layup to make it 18-2 Southeastern.
Inspired, senior guard Rodney Jones followed suit with his own three-point bucket to give the Lions a 23-3 lead. Capping off a 35-4 run in favor of Southeastern, senior forward/center David Ndoumba forcefully grabbed an offensive rebound and went up strong to hit a jumper with 10:11 left in the first half.
The NCAA Division III Millsaps Majors were majorly handicapped against the far more athletic and physical Lions. They pulled the score as close as 44-24 in the final minute of the first before Southeastern took off their gloves.
Hutchin returned to form again in the second half when he drained another 3-pointer to cap a 17-5 run to give the Lions a 66-29 lead with 11:37 remaining to play.
The lead was extended to 73-33 when senior guard Gary Dixon, who scored 14 points off the bench, converted a three-point play with 8:40 remaining in regulation. Southeastern enjoyed its largest lead thanks to a successful three-point play from sophomore guard Jonathan Curtis in the final seconds of the contest.
Tied with Dixon, Jones also put up 14 points on the board for the Lions, improving to 13-0 against the Majors and won 21 straight non-conference ballgames at home dating back to 2006-07. Sophomore forward Roosevelt Johnson had a career game, scoring 11 points in the contest. Southeastern played sound defense too, forcing 19 turnovers and blocking nine shots.
Senior forward Jason Marks and Ndoumba each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while junior guard Deshawn Patterson served up seven assists. In his collegiate debut, freshman guard Michael Harrel scored seven points, two of which were 3-pointers.
The Lions finished 33-for-54 (61.1 percent) from the hardwood floor and 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from behind the arc. Millsaps was held to 16-for-46 (34.8 percent) from the court and 3-for-11 from behind the three-point line.
Returning to action this Wednesday, Southeastern hits the road to battle the Rebels of Nevada-Las Vegas in a 9 p.m. CST ballgame.