POPLARVILLE, MS. – LSU Eunice Women's Basketball saw its season come to an end after being dealt a 70-49 setback at top-seed Pearl River CC in the Quarterfinal Round of the Region 23/Gulf District Tournament on Monday.  The Bengals ended their first season under the leadership of Rob Beckmann with a 20-11 overall record.
 
The 20 wins mark a 14-win improvement from the previous season, the second biggest turnaround in program history.
 
The Bengals put a scare into the top-seed Wildcats in the first half, leading for much of the second quarter.  LSUE dug itself out of an early hole, using a 12-0 run to build as large as a five-point lead, 24-19, with 4:26 remaining in the first half.  Eight of those points came at the free throw line as the Bengals went 18-for-26 (69%) from the charity stripe in the contest.
 
PRCC would use a buzzer beating three-point basket to hold a four-point edge, 33-29, at the break.  The lead grew to 13 points after a 9-0 run to start the third quarter.
 
The Bengals would creep back within single digits midway through the fourth quarter before Pearl River rattled off a 12-0 run to end the game.
 
Ray'Onna Sterling (Vacherie, LA, Walker HS) led the Bengals with team highs in both points and rebounds, nearly recording a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds.  Simone Clay (Bloomington, MN, Bloomington Jefferson HS) added 12 points while Mariah Heard (Bastrop, LA, Bastrop HS) contributed 10.
 
The LSUE defense was a bright spot on the evening, forcing 19 turnovers off 13 steals including a team-high five from Clay.  LSUE finished the regular season as the national leader in turnovers forced and steals per game.