NEW ORLEANS - All-Tournament selection
Candice McGee had a career-high
18 points as the University of New Orleans defeated Jackson State 71-52
on Saturday night at Tulane's Fogelman Arena in the final game of the
Big Easy Classic.
UNO (4-3) won their second straight game and picked up their first sweep of a two-day tournament since the 1999 UNO Classic.
Never trailing in the contest, the Lady Privateers received 10 points from
Brittany Helm.
Ty Felder nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
JSU (1-5) was led by Erlexis Cooper's 17 points as they lost their second contest of the weekend. Phenicia Taylor had 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Strong shooting that was absent the night before showed itself early. The Lady Privateers made 7 of 8 from the field to start the game as they opened up the scoring with a 15-8 run.
After extending the lead to as many as 12 points, JSU pulled within four on several occasions as UNO took a 35-30 lead into the break. For the opening 20 minutes, the Lady Privateers shot at a 50 percent clip highlighted by a 3 of 3 performance by
Ashley Gorsh.
McGee lifted UNO when they started the second half shooting 4 of 17 from the field. With JSU within four of the lead, McGee was part of a scoring tear for the Lady Privateers who extended their lead to 14 at 57-43.
UNO would build the lead even more as the team shot 11 of 17 to complete the second half after the opening struggles. Bench scoring provided the added boost, outscoring JSU 24-8 in the category.
The Lady Privateers will next head back on the road next Saturday when they face Stephen F. Austin in Nacogodoches, Texas with tip scheduled for 6 p.m.
