In fitting style, senior All-American guard Kashie Natt posted another in a long line of double-doubles Saturday to lead the No. 1-ranked LSUA men’s basketball to a 97-67 Senior Day victory over Texas A&M-San Antonio.
The Generals (25-1) have already clinched the Red River Athletic Conference championship and raised their league record to 22-1. They have won 19 straight games. They also finished their regular season home slate with a perfect 13-0 record. It is the first time the Generals have been undefeated in the regular season at The Fort since 2016-17.
Natt led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds and made four steals and a block. Jakemin Abney contributed 13 points, while both Jordan Decuir and Jason Perry II finished with 11. Bryce Journee completed the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
The Purple and Gold stormed out to a 20-6 lead in just over six minutes of play and never looked back. They reached a 25-point advantage, 34-11, with 8:36 left in the first on a pair of free throws from EJ McQuillan.
The Jaguars (5-21, 4-18 RRAC) narrowed their deficit to 15, but the Generals took a 49-26 lead into halftime.
A jumper from Abney midway through the second half pushed the lead to 30, 75-45, for the first time.
LSUA is back in action on Thursday night at LSU Shreveport for the regular season finale. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 after a 5:30 women’s matchup.
LSUA WOMEN 76, TEXAS A&M-TEXARKANA 63: With their four seniors scoring at least 10 points on Senior Day, the Generals improved to 21-6 overall and 18-5 in the RRAC.
Dannah Martin-Hartwick led the group with 18, while Benedetta Peracchi posted 14, Amani Gray scored 13 and Jewel Jones added 12.
“They’ve been consistent all year,” coach Billy Perkins said of his seniors. “Very proud of their effort and knocking down shots when we need shots to keep winning games.”
Justice Young recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Young also tied the LSUA single game record for blocks, set earlier this year by Gray against Paul Quinn college, with five.
The Generals posted an 11-3 mark at The Fort this season, tying the school record for most wins at home, previously achieved in 2018-19.
The Purple and Gold also locked up the third seed in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament for the second straight year.
The Generals outshot the Jaguars (21-6, 18-5 RRAC) 53-26 percent in the first quarter and held a 22-13 lead. LSUA weathered a rally before going to halftime ahead 36-29.
LSUA went on a 11-2 run to open the third quarter, extending their lead to 47-31. After a three from the Jaguars, the Generals opened another run, this time scoring seven unanswered points for a 54-34 lead.
The Generals’ lead hovered near 17 for the remainder of the contest.