Hammond, La. – Southeastern Louisiana used a late 14-3 run to turn a three-point lead to a 14-point advantage as the Lions gave UIW men's basketball their fifth-straight loss, 74-63, Monday evening from University Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Simi Socks' jumper 20 seconds into the game gave UIW an early lead and the teams battled back and forth early, but SLU used a 9-3 run to take a seven-point lead, 16-9, with 11:13 left in the first half.

An unconventional three-point play by Tyler Singleton, followed by a Miles Banks jumper cut the Cardinal deficit to two, 16-14, but the Lions quickly increased their lead back up to seven. A Marlain Veal triple sparked a 16-8 Lion run to close the first half leading UIW, 39-25. Singleton forced a steal and made a fast break layup to cut the deficit to 12, but Eddy Polanco hit a jumper with 11 seconds remaining for the 14-point SLU halftime lead.

SLU kept a double-digit lead over UIW until a Jalin Hart layup made the score 44-35 in favor of the hosts, as part of a 13-0 run by the Cardinals, as UIW trailed SLU, 44-42, with just under 12 minutes left in regulation.

The Cardinals remained in striking distance and was a three-pointer away from tying the contest, but a Lion jumper followed by a Cardinal turnover which resulted in another SLU basket quickly increased the Lion lead to seven, 51-44, with 10 minutes to go.

Shawn Johnson's free throw brought UIW back to within four, 53-49, with just under eight minutes left in regulation, but SLU quickly answered, using another UIW turnover to increase its lead to back up to eight. A three-point play by Hart followed by a Singleton layup made the game one possession, at 57-54, with 4:40 remaining, but SLU used a back-breaking 14-3 run to seal the win.

LEADERS

Hart led UIW (5-8 overall, 0-2 SLC) with 14 points, followed by Johnson's 13. Banks scored a career-high nine points, while both Singleton and Devin Wyatt dropped eight. On the glass, Banks led the Cardinals with eight rebounds. As a team, the Cardinals shot 43 percent from the floor.

SLU (9-6 overall, 2-0 SLC) was led offensively by Veal with 24 points, followed by Currington and Moses Greenwood with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Currington led the Lions on the boards with nine. SLU shot 41 percent from the floor in the game.

UP NEXT

UIW hosts Northwestern State in its Southland Conference home opener on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in a "Red Out" game. The contest will follow the women's game that starts at 5:30 p.m.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals host New Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.