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Coach Davenport Video | A. Martin & R. Brown VideoNEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team (2-7) forced 17 turnovers and kept the lead for 32 minutes in a 58-55 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-9) on Tuesday at Lakefront Arena.
New Orleans led 58-54 after
Alexis Martin split a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining. A wild finished ensued as the Privateers fouled Larissa Lurken with 0.2 seconds left. Lurken hit the first free throw and missed the second, but there was not enough time for a tap-out and potential tying three-pointer.
"I'm so very proud of these young ladies as far as sticking to the game plan, eliminating unnecessary fouls, and taking care of the ball. Playing a lot of zone also eliminated the touch fouls that we were accustomed to getting," said Coach
Keeshawn Davenport.
The Privateers had a solid start to the game, scoring the first six points. New Orleans led for the majority of the opening half and had a lead as large as six on two different occasions. The Privateers also took care of the ball well to start, committing just four turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play.
There were just three points in the rest of the first half after the final media timeout, which came with 2:42 left. The Golden Flashes hit their fourth triple of the half as the shot clock expired to tie up the game at the break. Kent State out-rebounded New Orleans 22-14 in the first half.
Both teams left the sluggish end to the first half in the locker room. The Golden Flashes hit 6-of-11 shots to start the second half while the Privateers connected on 6-of-13 shots from the field to start the final half. New Orleans led most of the way, and Kent State never saw a lead of more than two points. The Golden Flashes never trailed by more than six, but only led for 3:12 of the contest.
Martin played a key role with nine points and four rebounds while making several of the hustle plays that don't show up in the stat sheet. "That's her. She is Miss Intensity and just when you think you have a layup, she comes in and tips the ball. Right now it's a good feeling that I've found a good rotation and that we have good energy coming off the bench. I'm proud of the team as a whole," said Davenport of Martin.
Halie Matthews led the way with 12 points and six rebounds.
Randi Brown also added 10 points and made a couple of big threes. "I just think these freshmen are finally getting their feet wet and understanding how to play their game and how to play within the offense," said Davenport about the freshman class that has continued to have an impact for the Privateers.
Ariele Davis added six points while
Danielle Davis and
Octavia Wilson each added five. Wilson led the team in assists with three and the Privateers only committed 10 turnovers on the evening. New Orleans shot 42.3 percent for the game.
Kent State was led by Lurken's 14 points. Melanee Stubbs added 10 points and Jordan Korinek and CiCi Shannon had eight points each. The Golden Flashes shot 43.4 percent and held a 42-27 edge on the glass. However, the Privateers closed down the three-point line, especially in the second half as Kent State only went 5-for-17 from long range.
The Privateers will start Southland play on Jan. 5 against Lamar. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
To keep up with the latest New Orleans women's basketball news, follow the team on Twitter
@UNOPrivateers and
@Privateers_WBB or by liking New Orleans Privateers on
Facebook.
