HOUSTON – Southeastern Louisiana rode a career performance by Taylin Underwood to an 87-71 victory over HBU in Southland Conference women's basketball Thursday night at Sharp Gym.
Sophomore guard
Lisa Zderadicka posted her second-straight 20-plus point performance for HBU (3-10, 1-2 SLC), finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard
Britta Daub recorded a career-high 10 points, while sophomore guard
Amanda Johnson matched her with 10 of her own. Sophomore center
Veronika Kirienko tied her career high with nine points, grabbed six rebounds and swatted a career-high six shots.
Underwood went 12-for-25 from the field, 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, and 15-of-16 from the free-throw line to finish with 45 points, while adding five rebounds. Taz Stinson added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Chey Stewart and Charliee Dugas each scored 10 for SLU (3-11, 1-2).
The Huskies shot 40.0 percent from the field, 44.4 percent (8-for-18) from long distance and went 23-for-32 from the line. The Lady Lions shot 42.6 percent from the field, 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from 3-point range, and 25-for-32 from the stripe. HBU outrebounded SLU, 36-35, but committed 24 turnovers to the Lady Lions' 17.
Zderadicka scored nine of the Huskies' first 12 points and the game as it was tied 14-14 with 3:41 left. A pair of free throws by Underwood gave SLU the lead, but Zderadicka found Daub in the corner for a three, then knocked down a pair of free throws to put HBU ahead by three. A free throw by Stinson, a three-point play by Underwood gave the Lady Lions the lead, then Underwood was fouled shooting a three just before the buzzer. She hit all three as SLU led 25-21 after one.
HBU quickly tied the game early in the second, but Underwood nailed another three. Johnson answered with a triple, but Stewart powered inside for a layup, Underwood and Stewart each made one-of-two from the line, Dawsey banked a runner off the glass to make the score 34-28 at the 5:37 mark. Daub cut the deficit to one with another three from the corner, but Underwood came back a pull-up trey, then made a pair from the line to restore SLU's lead to six with 3:33 remaining. Underwood's fifth three of the half just before the buzzer gave her 31 points and the Lady Lions a 46-37 lead. Zderadicka led the Huskies with 11, while Daub had 10 at the break.
SLU extended its lead to 13 at 61-48 with 4:15 left in the third on a 3-pointer by Brailey, then Warren's three with a just over a minute remaining made it a 16-point advantage for the Lady Lions. Zderadicka scored back-to-back buckets, but Underwood once again buried a three on SLU's final possession to make the score 71-56 heading into the final frame. The Lady Lions led by as many as 18 in the fourth, before settling for the final margin.
The Huskies will be back in action when they travel to McNeese Saturday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana, at 1 p.m. HBU then returns for a three-game homestand, beginning against Central Arkansas on HBU Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. There will be free lunch and drinks provided for all HBU Faculty & Staff in attendance.
