New Orleans, Louisiana-The University of New Orleans women's basketball team returns to Lakefront Arena, Thursday, Feb. 2, in a Southland Conference game against the Lamar University Lady Cardinals. New Orleans (10-9,5-4) will try to rebound form a road loss to Stephen F. Austin, co-leaders in the conference standings, last Saturday in Nacogdoches, Texas, 88-61.
"This is an opportunity to beat one of the teams above us in the standings," said head coach
Keeshawn Davenport. "As we continue our quest to be a championship caliber team, we have to beat some of the teams in the upper echelon of the conference like Lamar."
Despite a season-low 4 points in the loss to Stephen F. Austin, junior
Randi Brown (Human Performance) continues to lead the Southland Conference (SLC) in scoring hitting 20.7 points per game. The Houma, Louisiana native is the Southland leader in points scored at 393 and leads the conference in 3-point field goals made averaging 2.9 a contest.
Brown had her streak of consecutive games scoring in double figures dating back to last season snapped at 23 games in the defeat to SFA. She has exceeded 20 points in ten games this season and she leads the club in assists (2.4) and steals with 31.
Shania Woods (Accounting) is the second leading scorer for the Privateers hitting 9.1 points and leads in rebounding with 7.3. The sophomore leads in field goal percentage hitting 73-of-141 shots for 51 percent.
Junior guard
Kayla Mundy (Human Performance) has played in a 19 games for the Privateers this season without a start. However, she is the club's third leading scorer at 5.7 points a game despite averaging only 14 minutes a game.
Junior forward
Halie Matthews (Biological Sciences) nets 5.6 points a game and 3.7 rebounds. A native of Harvey, Louisiana, Matthews had 13 points against Stephen F. Austin. She has had two double figure games in the last three contest, as she canned 12 points against Central Arkansas last month.
The Privateers lead the Southland Conference in 3-point field goal percentage hitting 106-of-298 for .356.
UNO ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.415) and defensive field goal percentage (.396)
Lamar (14-5,7-2) is led by Moe Kinard, this week's Southland Conference Player of the Week. Kinard is the conference's sixth leading scorer averaging 16 points a contest. Kiandra Bowers hits 13.8 points a game and she leads in field goal percentage hitting 59 percent of her shots. Kiara Desamours is the third Lady Cardinal in double figures at 10 points an outing. Baileigh O'Dell is the conference pace setter in 3-point field goal percentage connecting on 31-of-69 for 44 percent. Guard Chastadie Barrs leads in assists at 6.5 a game for the Lady Cardinals.
Lamar's strength is at the defensive end of the floor, leading the nation in steals a game (14), turnover margin, (+9.5), turnovers forced (25), while Chastadie Barrs is tops nationally in steals averaging 4.42 a contest.
"We have to be relaxed and break the press and execute of offense. On defense they have guards who can penetrate and get to the hoop so this time we have to stop their penetration." Davenport explained.
Lamar leads the all-time series between the two schools 19-16 having won the last six games of the series including a 73-42 win in Beaumont, Texas back on Jan.5.
The Privateers will return to Lakefront Arena Saturday, Feb. 4 against Nicholls State at 4 p. m. It's the first game of a doubleheader as the UNO men's team will face the Nicholls State Colonels. It will be "Homecoming 2017 presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl."
For tickets to those games and other Privateer Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or via the Internet by clicking
HERE.
--www.UNOPrivateers.com--
