LSUE teams begin conference play with wins

EUNICE -- The LSU Eunice women and men's basketball team opened up conference play last Thursday night in the HPRE Center with a pair of victories.
The LSUE men meanwhile shook off some rust from a nearly three-week layoff to take down Delgado Community College 81-72 on Thursday.
The Bengals were led by former Pine Prairie star Isaiah Payne and Jonathan Cisse who combined for 48 points in the victory.
LSUE (3-0, 1-0 LCCAC) started off sluggish as they trailed Delgado CC 24-15 early on. The Bengals defense gave them a spark as they forced four consecutive turnovers with Cisse scoring eight of LSUE's 10 points in that span, including a pair of three-pointers.
LSUE would go on to force 19 turnovers in the game, flipping that into 24 points.
Delgado CC still held a 39-37 advantage at halftime.
The Bengals used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to help turn a deficit into a six-point lead, 55-49. LSUE would extend its lead to as much as 18 before holding on for the nine-point win.
Payne scored a game-high and career best 26 points while adding eight rebounds and three steals. Cisse added 22 points with six assists.
Earlier in the evening, the LSUE women defeated Delgado CC for a 80-63 victory.
With the win, the Lady Bengals extended its winning streak in LCCAC play to 29 games, and have now defeated their rivals from New Orleans 15 straight times.
LSUE (6-2, 1-0 LCCAC) jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game and never looked back. The Bengals shot 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, including three from freshman point guard Brooklyn Fontenot.
Fontenot led LSUE with 14 points.
LSUE also was effective under the basket as the Lady Bengals scored 40 points in the paint, and outrebounded Delgado CC 57-49.
Freshman forward Tahjea Smith recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Chelsey White added 12 points and six rebounds inside while Tanisha Hester added 11 rebounds.
LSUE led 44-28 at halftime and would push its lead to 20 points in the third quarter. Delgado CC cut the lead down to 12 in the second half but LSUE pulled away for the 17-point victory.