HENDERSON, Tenn. – The No. 12 Louisiana State University of Alexandria men's basketball team knocked off the reigning NAIA National Champion, No. 4 Freed-Hardeman University, 69-63.

"What a way to execute the game plan by our guys!" LSUA Head Coach Dimario Jackson said. "Defended for 40 minutes! That's a final four team. They are well-coached, skilled, and athletic. We have some areas to clean up offensively and defensively. Super proud of our players and coaching staff."
 
Kashie Natt led the Generals (3-0) with 17 points and 13 rebounds, his third double-double in as many games. Natt recorded nine points and nine rebounds in the first half. Jakemin Abney finished with13 points, 12 of which came in the second half. EJ McQuillan finished with 11 points.
 
LSUA recorded 23 bench points, 38 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers, and 20 fast break points. They also finished with six blocks and nine steals.
 
Freed-Hardeman led 9-4 with 12:44 to play in the first half, before a 12-0 run from the Generals put LSUA ahead 16-9. The Lions were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes, until they hit a pair of free throws with 5:59 remaining.
 
The Generals extended their lead to 10, 23-13, with 3:43 to play in the first. Isaiah Howard knocked down a three before McQuillan picked up a bucket in the paint on consecutive possessions for the double-digit advantage. LSUA held its largest lead of the half after a jumper from McQuillan made it 26-15 with 1:11 left.
 
Freed-Hardeman went on a 7-0 run in the final 32 seconds of the opening half, pulling the score to 26-22 at the halftime buzzer.
 
A pair of threes on the Lions' first two possessions of the second stanza put the hosts ahead 28-26 in the early moments of the second half. The lead swung back and forth for the first 12 minutes of the second half, until a layup from Jordan Decuir gave the Generals their final lead of the night, 52-51. Decuir converted his free throw for the three-point play and a two-point lead.  Keyon Giroir knocked down a trey on the next possession for a five-point advantage, 56-51.
 
The Generals extended the gap to nine, their largest lead of the second half, with 2:44 remaining, 66-57. Freed-Hardeman put together a 6-0 run to make it a 66-63 contest but a trio of free throws from Abney salted the game away for the Generals.
 
LSUA is back at home as they open Red River Athletic Conference play against Jarvis Christian on Tuesday, November 11, at 7:30 PM.