LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - UALR claimed the No. 1 seed in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championships by defeating the University of New Orleans 73-43 on Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
UALR (24-5, 17-1 SBC) moved quickly to guarantee the top spot by going on a 24-4 run that took up most of the first half.
SBC Player of the Year candidate Chastity Reed scored 36 points for the Trojans. The total included 21 points in the first half as the New Orleans native shot 14 of 29 from the field for the contest.
Shanika Butler and Marian Kursh each scored 10 points with Butler narrowly missing a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds.
Brittany Helm paced the UNO (10-19, 4-14 SBC) effort in the contest by equaling her season-high with 21 points, one shy of her career-high. Helm shot 9 of 18 from the field, while making 3 of 4 attempts from beyond the arc. Rachele Monroe added eight points with Candice McGee grabbing a team-high six rebounds.
UNO led the contest early by a 7-6 score with Helm scoring five of the team's seven points out of the gate.
At that point, the tide turned quickly with the Trojans scoring 24 of the next 28 points to take a commanding 30-11 lead. UALR would maintain the 19 point advantage into the break with a 34-19 lead.
The hosts shot 44.8 percent during the first 20 minutes with Reed scoring 21 of her team's 34 points after shooting 9 of 18 from the field.
The Trojans continued to build on their lead, increasing it to as much as 30 with 10:23 remaining in the contest. The Lady Privateers cut the lead to 21, but it was the 21 turnovers on the game compared to UALR's 6 that kept the visitors out of reach for the length of the second half.
The Lady Privateers are awaiting final confirmation on their place in the 2010 SBC Championship bracket. Play will get underway next Saturday morning at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.
