New Orleans- Fresh off of a win over the defending Southland Conference Champions, the University of New Orleans women's basketball team will host the Cardinals of the University of the Incarnate Word (3-14, 2-4 SLC), Saturday, January 20 at Lakefront Arena. Tipoff is set for 4 p. m.
Saturday's game is billed as "Load The Lakefront", an appeal to fans, the community and UNO alumni to come out and support the Privateers. It's part of a doubleheader and precedes a 6:15 affair between the UNO and Incarnate Word men's teams. Both games will be broadcast by ESPN3.
New Orleans (8-10, 4-3 SLC) used a 14-3 third period to against Central Arkansas (13-5, 6-1 SLC) to knock the Sugar Bears from the unbeaten ranks in the Southland Conference, 52-48.
"We really played team basketball and it was a great defensive effort," said head coach
Keeshawn Davenport. "Our defense always creates our offense. Even when our offense wasn't kicking on all cylinders we still were getting the stops against Central Arkansas."
In the win over UCA, senior
Halie Matthews tallied a game-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting including 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arch. The Marrero, Louisiana native suffered a broken ankle against Miami in November and was presumed out for the season. The Central Arkansas game was her second game back from injury.
Randi Brown ranks 8
th in the nation in scoring and continues to lead the Southland Conference averaging 22.7 points a game. Prior to her 12-point outing against Central Arkansas, the Houma, Louisiana native had exceeded 25 points in 8 of her previous 9 games. She is fourth in the SLC in free throw shooting hitting at an .853 clip and she averages 2.0 assists a contest.
Shania Woods, a junior center, ranks third in the Southland in rebounding with 8.0 a game and she's scoring in double figures at 10.6. Woods has collected six double-doubles (points and rebounds) this year, the best being a 20-point, 19-rebound effort against the University of Houston in November.
Kayla Mundy had only 4 points against Central Arkansas, however she's averaging 15.1 points a game in conference competition ranking her ninth in the SLC. The McKinney, Texas native leads UNO in free throw shooting hitting 42-of-49 (.857).
New Orleans continues to top the conference in free throw shooting connecting on .763 (273-of-358).
UIW lost Thursday night to the Lamar Cardinals, 77-54. Sophomore Imani Robinson leads UIW in scoring at 11.3 and Sydnee Wynn is the club's top rebounder at 6.6.
"UIW has size on the inside this year and they have a good perimeter game. They are one of those teams right there on the edge and any given night they can have a breakout game," said Davenport.
UNO leads the all-time series with UIW, 3-2 after winning the home-and-home series last season.
The Privateers will return to the court Wednesday, January 24 at Lakefront Arena when Northwestern State comes to New Orleans. Tipoff is 7 p. m.
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