LAFAYETTE, La. – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team will begin their 2017-18 season against a familiar foe when they square off against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the opening round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
UNO is coming off a season that saw their first berth in the Southland Conference tournament. The Privateers finished last year at 14-15. This will mark the first time the Privateers will participate in the Preseason WNIT.
START IT UP
The Privateers had four players start all 29 games last year. Of those four, three (
Randi Brown,
Shania Woods, and
Mariah Wright) all return this season. The Privateers also return
Halie Matthews and
Kayla Mundy who combined to average 13.4 points off the bench.
Danielle Wright also returns after finishing second on the team in steals a year ago.
RECORD STATUS
The Houma native has etched her name in the record books over her first three seasons. Brown enters the year third on the UNO all-time scoring list with 1,470 career points. Brown also holds the school record for most points in a game (45), which she achieved against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Brown poured in 659 points as a junior. That point total is the third most in a single season in UNO history. Sandra Hodge has the top two marks for a single season-820 in 1982-83 and 816 in 1980-81.
Last season, Brown connected on 85 triples, second most in a season in school history. Shanna Cook made 91 threes in 1994-95.
INSIDE THE SERIES HISTORY
UNO owns the overall series by a 45-28 margin over the Cajuns. The last time the two teams played was on December 14, 2013, a game won by the Cajuns. The two teams first met in UNO's inaugural women's basketball season (1975-76).
The Privateers had a 16-game winning streak against the Cajuns that spanned from 1989 to 1998 when the Cajuns won the second meeting between the two schools. Louisiana is on a current five-game winning streak against UNO.
ABOUT THE CAJUNS
Last season, the Cajuns notched 20 wins and made it to the Sun Belt conference title game where they lost to Troy. Just like the Privateers in the Southland, the Cajuns were selected to finish fourth in the Sun Belt.
Simone Fields (first team) and Jasmine Thomas (third team) were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt squad. Fields averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. Thomas started 30 of 31 games and averaged 8.9 points per game.
The Cajuns will open with a Southland opponent for the second straight year. Last season, Louisiana defeated McNeese 77-70 in Lake Charles.
