LSUS Comes Up Short in Tight 66-62 Homecoming Battle

SHREVEPORT, La. -- The LSU Shreveport women's basketball team saw its 18-game conference winning streak come to an end Thursday night, falling 66-62 to North American University on Homecoming at The Dock.

With the loss, LSUS moves to 22-3 overall and 18-1 in Red River Athletic Conference play, marking the team's first conference defeat of the season as it continues its pursuit of the RRAC Regular Season Championship. North American University improves to 14-7 overall and 12-6 in conference action.

LSUS opened the game with strong defensive energy, forcing multiple early turnovers and jumping out to a 10-4 lead midway through the first quarter. The Pilots led 15-13 before a late Stallions push gave NAU a 17-15 edge at the end of the first.

The second quarter proved pivotal. After LSUS briefly reclaimed a 24-19 advantage, the Stallions responded with a 20-4 surge fueled by hot three-point shooting. NAU shot 8-of-14 from beyond the arc in the game, including several key triples late in the half to take a 39-28 lead into the break.

Trailing by as many as 11, the Pilots chipped away in the third quarter. Defensive pressure from Selma Markisic and Amandine L'Etang helped cut the deficit to 43-41 on a L'Etang tip-in with just over three minutes remaining in the frame. However, timely shooting from Maurdaisha Powell allowed NAU to maintain a 49-42 lead entering the final period.

LSUS continued to battle in the fourth. Back-to-back buckets from Ally Fleenor and Markisic brought the Pilots within 53-49, and a L'Etang three-pointer with 3:41 remaining trimmed the margin to 56-52. The Pilots pulled within four again at 58-54 and later closed to 61-57 following a Fleenor layup with under a minute to play.

After trading free throws in the final seconds, Toni Coleman converted a layup at the buzzer to account for the 66-62 final.

Coleman led LSUS with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Markisic added 14 points and seven steals, while Fleenor contributed 12 points and nine rebounds. L'Etang filled the stat sheet with seven points, 12 rebounds, five steals, five blocks, and four assists.

For the Stallions, Maurdaisha Powell paced the offense with 20 points and five rebounds. Keasia Robinson recorded 14 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Savannah Velazquez tallied 11 points and seven assists, while Aliyah Solis added 11 points. Akyra Hodges chipped in six rebounds and three steals.

NAU finished the night shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point range, compared to 38.7 percent overall and 18.8 percent from deep for the Pilots. The Stallions also held a 40-33 edge on the glass.

LSUS will look to bounce back on Saturday, Feb. 14, when it hosts Xavier University of Louisiana for Senior Day. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at The Dock.