Women's Basketball Looks to Continue Road Momentum at Northwestern State

NEW ORLEANS AT NORTHWESTERN STATE
SATURDAY, FEB. 20 | 1 PM
NATCHITOCHES, LA. | PRATHER COLISEUM

LIVE STATS | TWITTER | AUDIO | VIDEO | GAME NOTES
 
NATCHITOCHES, La. – After picking up a key victory on Thursday night, the University of New Orleans women's basketball team (7-15, 4-9 Southland) looks to continue their momentum against the Northwestern State Lady Demons (15-10, 9-5) on Saturday at the Prather Coliseum.
 
The Privateers exhibited one of their best defensive efforts of the season on Thursday in holding Southeastern under 30 percent from the field during a 62-51 victory. Randi Brown scored 18 points and set a new career high in rebounds with 14. Halie Matthews added 11 points and the bench gave solid minutes between Raven Coleman, Jewel Angelo, Danielle Wright, and Mathilde Fogelstrom.
 
With the win, the Privateers moved to within a game of tying for the final spot in the conference tournament. New Orleans will be battling a Northwestern State squad that currently holds the 2-seed in the Southland standings. Northwestern State leads the all-time series 8-5, but the Privateers won the last meeting in Natchitoches, which was the season finale.
 
"The key is to switch up your defense and keep them off balance," said Coach Keeshawn Davenport. "Janelle (Perez) is a very good guard in this league and she knows how to facilitate. We have to know where she is at all times and keep her contained, but most of all it's going to take a committee."
 
It was that committee mindset that held Southeastern under 30 points through three quarters on Thursday. The Lady Lions shot just 24 percent in the first half and were held to 3-of-27 from three-point range. Erica Hernandez was held scoreless and KaeLynn Boyd had just two assists to six turnovers after averaging 5.0 assists per game coming into the night.
 
Matthews has been inserted into the starting lineup during the last two games and logged 28 minutes on Thursday, her second highest minute total of the season. In addition to her 11 points, Matthews pulled in five boards and had two assists.
 
Northwestern State counters with a spurt of three straight wins since their last loss on Feb. 4 to Nicholls. The Lady Demons rallied back from a small deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter and held a 47-38 edge on the glass in victory. Janelle Perez and Beatrice Attura combined for 32 points and eight assists.
 
Perez has been a scoring machine throughout the majority of the season and has consistently been in the top five in assists. Perez is averaging 15.5 points per game, and has scored in double figures in 17 straight games entering Saturday. Her season best scoring output was 27 points twice (against Sam Houston State and McNeese State).
 
The Lady Demons also display one of the better defenses in the league. Opponents are averaging just 61.8 points per game against Northwestern State, which ranks the Lady Demons third in the conference. Northwestern State also has the fifth best field goal percentage defense in the Southland.
 
Northwestern State has made a habit of winning in late season and postseason situations. The Lady Demons are the two-time defending Southland Tournament champions. Last year, Northwestern State navigated the tournament as a 6-seed. The Lady Demons are coached by Brooke and Scott Stoehr who are in their fourth season with the program.
 
For more information on ticket purchasing for the 2015-16 season, click here or call (504) 280-GAME (4263).
 
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.