Jan. 11, 2007

Box Score

HAMMOND, La. - Patrick Sullivan came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points, all in the second half, as Southeastern Louisiana beat Texas State 78-70 Thursday in the University Center.

In addition to Sullivan sparking the Lions in the second half, Kevyn Green scored a career-high 20 points and Joseph Polite added 16 in Southeastern Louisiana's win.

The victory allowed SLU to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 9-7 and 1-2 in the Southland Conference. The loss was the Bobcats' first in conference play as they dropped to 7-9 and 2-1.

Sullivan entered the game averaging 4.7 points an outing but Thursday went 7-for-7 from the field and also blocked four shots. He broke a 47-47 tie in the second half with a jam to start a stretch in which he scored 12 of 14 Lion points, including three via high-percentage dunks. And after the 6-9 freshman's scoring spurt, Daryl Cohen drained a three-pointer and Southeastern Louisiana's lead was 54-49 with 11:11 to play.

Texas State would close the gap to two points before Sullivan scored the Lions' next three baskets to stretch SLU's lead to 62-56. Southeastern Louisiana would go on to build a 10-point lead on another Sullivan dunk at the 3:56 mark.

The Bobcats played without sophomore Dylan Moseley who averaged 12.5 points in the Bobcats' first two Southland Conference games. Moseley suffered a concussion in the Bobcats' win over Central Arkansas last Saturday and has yet been cleared to play.

The Lions shot 70 percent from the field in the second half and 58.7 percent for the game. The Bobcats, who entered the game averaging a league-leading 81.5 points an outing were held to better than 10 points below their average.

Southeastern Louisiana was able to take advantage of the Bobcats' early struggles from the field in building an early 8-2 lead. Texas State, which shot 46 percent from the field for the game, would start the game by making three of its first 10 shots.

Brandon Bush, the Bobcats' leading scorer this season, finally provided a spark when he was fouled while scoring his first basket of the game at the 10:36 mark of the first half. Bush would steal the ensuing inbounds and drive for another basket cutting a nine-point SLU lead to 16-12 midway through the half.

Bush, who led all scorers with 23 points, would score on successive possessions later in the half to give the Bobcats their first lead of the period. Two free throws by the sophomore would cut a Lion lead to 22-21 and Texas State's next time down the floor he would hit the floor hard while hitting a jumper in the paint that gave the `Cats a 23-22 lead.

The lead changed six times in the half and there were seven, first-half ties including 37-37 at intermission.

Texas State continues its current Louisiana road swing Saturday when it takes on Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La. The Colonels beat Texas-Arlington 83-81 in overtime Thursday, snapping a five-game losing streak. Saturday's game has been moved to 2 p.m. in an effort to not conflict with the New Orleans Saints' divisional playoff game that evening.