Box Score Hammond, Louisiana- Sometimes, it's just not your day. One game after playing perhaps its best game in recent memory on Thursday, the Privateers hit just 35.6 percent of their shots from the field (21-of-59) and committed 20 turnovers as the University of New Orleans women's basketball team dropped an 85-70 decision to Southland Conference foe Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday afternoon in the University Center.
"Give Southeastern credit, they played hard for 40 minutes," said head coach
Keeshawn Davenport. "They beat us on the intangibles like heart, energy, effort. You've got to give them credit."
While UNO had its issues putting the ball in the basket, the Lions connected at a .500 clip (26-of-52), including an 8-of-15 performance from beyond the 3-point arc (.533), and used a strong start to snap a four-game skid and improve to 5-18 on the year and 3-9 in SLC play. In defeat, the Privateers fell to 12-11 overall and 7-6 in conference action.
Junior guard
Randi Brown led the Privateers with a 29 points after hitting 7-of-23 field goals, including a 3-of-10 effort from downtown, and 12-of-16 free throws. Junior forward
Halie Matthews came off the bench to post a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to go with a two blocks and a steal. Sophomore guard
Danielle Wright paced New Orleans with three assists and shared team-high steal honors with Brown at two apiece.
The Lions roared out to an early 5-0 lead as Taylin Underwood opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and followed with a pair of free throws 1:46 into the contest. Brown put the Privateers on the board with a layup on the ensuing possession only to see Southeastern Louisiana follow with a 7-1 run to go ahead 12-3. UNO got to within four at 19-15 on a pair of Brown free throws with 3:03 to go in the opening stanza, but the Lions answered with an 8-2 run to extend the lead to double digits.
Down 32-22 at the end of the opening frame, sophomore guard
Mariah Wright opened the second-quarter scoring with a jumper but it was just one of four made baskets for the Privateers in the period. The Lions rattled off 14 unanswered points to make it 46-24 with 3:30 to play before the break and led by 23 at 48-25 just over a minute later. The Privateers closed out the half on a 6-3 run to go into the locker room down 51-31.
Whatever momentum the Privateers may have built at the end of the half quickly dissipated in the third quarter as Southeastern Louisiana scored the period's first four points went ahead by as many as 25 at 60-35 just over two and a half minutes in. New Orleans answered with a 17-6 run to make it 66-52 with 2:27 to go in the quarter, but the Lions closed out the frame on an 8-0 run to take a 74-52 lead into the final stanza.
Southeastern Louisiana matched its largest lead by scoring the first three points of the fourth quarter and the Privateers actually outscored the Lions in the period, 18-11. The game, however, had long since been decided.
Underwood was one of three Lions to finish in double figures offensively with a game-high 30 points while Charliee Dugas and Bre Warren followed with 21 and 13, respectively. Underwood also paced Southeastern Louisiana in assists with three and tallied the team's lone blocked shot. Tyler Morrison headlined the squad with eight rebounds.
"Great gut check. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way. This loss hurts but the season is not over. It's not the end of the world," said Davenport
The Privateers return to action on Thursday, Feb. 16, when they play host to McNeese at 7 p.m. in Lakefront Arena. The contest against the Cowgirls is the first of two home games as UNO will take on Stephen F. Austin in a UNO basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 23. For tickets to those games, as well as future New Orleans Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office over the phone at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or via the Internet by clicking
HERE.
