SUMMIT, Ms. – After some early growing pains, LSU Eunice Women's Basketball won its first game of the year in style, taking down No. 20 Southwest Mississippi on the final day of the Southwest Coca-Cola Classic.  LSUE (1-4) split its two games played at the two-day event.
 
The Bengals dropped a 71-59 decision to Copiah-Lincoln before rebounding with a 59-56 victory over the 20th ranked and previously unbeaten Bears.  A pair of freshmen led the team in scoring in the two contests as Braille Washington (Rayne, LA, Rayne HS) poured in 14 against Copiah-Lincoln followed by 19 from Princis Goff (Atlanta, LA, Atlanta HS) against Southwest Mississippi.
 
LSUE will play its final road games of the 2022 calendar year this weekend, taking a trip to Lufkin, Texas to play Angelina and Tyler.  The Bengals return home for a four-game homestand before the new year.
 
Game 1 vs. Copiah-Lincoln – L, 71-59
A big third quarter from Copiah-Lincoln was too much for LSU Eunice to overcome as the Bengals fell to the Wolfpack, 71-59.  The Bengals were outscored 24-15 in the critical frame.
 
LSUE would stay within striking distance for the majority of the first half, trailing 36-30 at intermission.  The Bengals were balanced in their attack before the break, seeing seven players score no more than seven points.  Braille Washington led the Bengals in the first half and the game, pouring in 14 points.
 
The free throw line would hurt the Bengals as Copiah-Lincoln would go 24-for-30 from the charity stripe while LSUE was 5-for-10.
 
Game 2 vs. Southwest Mississippi – W, 59-56
A fourth quarter surge helped LSUE overcome a 16-point deficit on its way to a thrilling 59-56 victory over Southwest Mississippi.  It was the first win for the Bengals under interim head coach Dottie McDonald.
 
The Bengals outscored the Bears 21-8 in the final frame, using a 9-0 run early in the quarter to get within striking distance.  Princis Goff carried the load in that rally, scoring 10 of her 19 points in the final frame.
 
LSUE would use defense to mount the comeback as the backcourt duo of Kinsley Batiste (Opelousas, LA, Northwest HS) and Kaylan Jack (Baton Rouge, LA, Madison Prep Academy) would help the Bengals finally take a lead.  Batiste would swipe a Bears pass and take it the distance to trim the deficit to 53-52 with under two minutes remaining.
 
Jack would take over in the final minute with a pair of critical baskets, tying the game on a corner three pointer with just under a minute to play, followed by a steal off an inbounds and a layup with 40 seconds left giving the Bengals their first lead of the game, 57-55.
 
After both teams swapped free throws with 11.7 seconds in the game, Southwest Mississippi missed two opportunities under its own basket as Tierra Sylvas (Pearl River, LA, Northshore HS) grabbed a game icing rebound with 2.1 seconds left.
 
Batiste joined Goff as double-digit scorers, pouring in 10 points.