New Orleans-Four players in double figures and another outstanding performance on defense spurred the University of New Orleans (8-12, 4-7 Southland) to its third straight victory at the expense of Northwestern State (7-14, 2-8 Southland), 83-74, Wednesday at Lakefront Arena.
It's the first three-game win streak for New Orleans since the end of last season when they won games over Southeastern Louisiana, Mc Neese and Sam Houston State from Feb.14 to Feb. 21, 2018.
It was a big evening for senior
Shania Woods who recorded her 8
th double-double of the season with 29 points and 13 rebounds, both game-highs. Joining Woods in double figures were Jada Duncantel with 16,
Whitley Larry had 14 (season-high) with 6 rebounds and 4 blocks and Pebbles Pimpton canned 10.
Woods, out of Houston, Texas, surpassed Brittany Helm for the 10
th spot all time among UNO scorers. She now has 1,140 career- points. Woods is currently the 4
th leading rebounder in Privateer history.
FIRST QUARTER
Northwestern State started fast taking a 15-6 lead. However, the Privateers came back with a 12-0 run to take an 18-15 lead.
Jada Duncantell had 6 points in the period and
Traya Bruce added 5. RaVon Nero, the Lady Demons leading scorer, had 10 in the period but she finished the game with 12 points. Northwestern State led by 2 at the end of the first, 22-20.
SECOND QUARTER
New Orleans won the second period, 16-13 to take a one point, 36-35 lead into intermission. UNO trailed for all but five seconds of the period. A
Whitley Larry layup put the home team on top as the half came to an end. Points-in-the-paint did the trick. It was the Privateers with a 14-2 advantage in that category. The Lady Demons were held to 30% shooting in the quarter, 3-of-10.
Shania Woods had 6 points in the quarter and
Whitley Larry had 4.
THIRD QUARTER
The Privateers came out smoking in the third quarter, scoring the first 7 points of the second half on 5 consecutive points by Pimpton and a Woods basket to stretch the lead to 8, 43-35.
Kayla Thomas had 3 blocks in the first two minutes of the half. She finished with a game-high 5. Northwestern State would not go away closing the lead to 2 at 51-49 with 1:44 to go. The period would end, 53-49, Privateers. New Orleans relied on stingy defense again, holding the Lady Demons to 6-of-16 shooting, 37%.
FOURTH QUARTER
New Orleans took the final quarter, 31-24, thanks to hot shooting from the free throw line. Ranked at the bottom of the conference in that category, the Privateers canned 17-of-20 from the charity stripe. New Orleans held Northwestern State to 30% shooting from the field (9-of-30) during the final quarter. Woods had 15 of her 29 points in the fourth. She was 9-of-10 from the line during the period. UNO had its largest lead of the game, 12 points, twice during the fourth quarter at 61-49 with 7:25 to go and 69-57 at the 3:40 mark. . New Orleans cruised to an 11-point, 84-73 win.
COACH'S COMMENTS
QUICK START:
"I don't think we got a fast start like we did at their place when we held them to a single digit quarter. But we found a way to get back into the game. I think we showed our relentlessness again. Even though we dug a hole for ourselves we got it to a two-point deficit at the end of the quarter.
"It was important for us to score on the inside and it's obvious that we did that with 29 points from Shania and 14 from Whitley. We scored 24 points-in-the-paint in the first half."
ON SHANIA WOODS:
"Shania is the lone senior and this week she said she wants to get to Katy (Southland Conference Tournament). So everybody bought in and decided they are playing for her. But they know we can't look past anybody, we have to take it one at a time because they are no easy foes out there."
ON THE PLAY OF WHITLEY LARRY:
"She gets a little down on herself when she misses a match-up or something but she had some awesome rebounds for us in the first half and her defensive presence on the inside changing those shots and blocking shots was huge."
INSIDE THE BOX
10 blocks in the game was the most by New Orleans since 2006….
Jada Duncantell was a perfect 8-of08 from the free throw line….UNO was 27-of-36 from the free throw line, 75%....New Orleans outrebounded Northwestern State 43-33.
Up Next
It's Homecoming for the Privateers. Presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, it's a Southland Conference doubleheader, Nicholls State with visit with the women's game getting underway Saturday, Feb. 9, at 2:00 p. m. The men's game between New Orleans and Nicholls will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's contest. It's also UNO Basketball Alumni Day welcoming all former Privateer players and coaches. The game will also serve as Senior Day for the men's club.
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