Veal propels SE Louisiana past Northwestern State 69-53

Jan 26, 2019, 06:59 pm

NATCHITOCHES, La. -- Marlain Veal totaled 21 points and six rebounds and Southeast Louisiana dominated the first half and coasted to a 69-53 victory over Northwestern State on Saturday.

Brandon Gonzalez added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range as the Lions (8-12, 4-3 Southland Conference) shot 41 percent from the floor and beyond the arc. Gonzalez added nine rebounds to help Southeast Louisiana control the glass 40-31. Freshman Tyron Brewer snagged 10 rebounds and finished a point shy of notching his first double-double. Moses Greenwood and Von Julien scored 10 apiece and Julien added six assists.

Ishmael Lane was the lone Demon to reach double figures, scoring 11. He grabbed 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Northwestern State shot just 35 percent from the floor and made only 5 of 24 from distance (21 percent).

The Demons (7-13, 2-5), who never played with a lead, hung with the Lions until the final five minutes of the first half. Lane's jumper pulled Northwestern State within 22-21, but Julien capped an 18-5 run to close out the half with two 3-pointers to put the Lions up 40-26 at intermission. The Demons got no closer than five in the second half.