NEW ORLEANS -
Candice McGee scored all 10 of her points in the second
half to add to a season-high 16 rebounds as the University of New
Orleans defeated Sam Houston State 71-64 on Friday night at the Human
Performance Center.
McGee's
double-double was one of three double-digit scoring performances on the
night for UNO (6-3).
Brittany Helm had a season-high 18 points while
Talishia Young added 12 points and a career-high matching five blocks.
Ray
Alexander led four SHSU (3-5) players in double-figures with 16 points.
Brittany Brooks added 14 points with Chanice Smith and Whitney Smith
scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.
UNO entered the half with a 34-30 lead after shooting 48.3 percent from the field, led by Helm's 5 of 7 effort.
The
Bearkats had the early advantage, scoring the first six points of the
contest before the Lady Privateers moved ahead for the first time at
11-8 on a Tiffina' Bennett three-point play.
The hosts would
remain ahead, gaining their largest advantage of the first half at
25-17 with SHSU closing the gap just before the end of the opening 20
minutes.
Despite several chances to grab a significant lead, UNO
struggled to go ahead by more than five points in the second half. The
Lady Privateers finally broke through the ceiling when McGee scored her
first two points of the game with 13:39 remaining in the contest.
In
the driver's seat at 47-38, the Bearkats scored six in a row to trim
the lead to three. SHSU would get within three points once more at
53-50.
The visitors would not get any closer as UNO's advantage
reached double-digits at 61-51, good enough to keep the Bearkats at bay
for the remainder of the contest.
The Lady Privateers will hit
the road Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest against Pelican State rival LSU.
The game will be televised regionally on Cox Sports Television.
