NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans women's basketball program failed to make it seven straight wins as their best winning streak in over 26 years came to an end at the hands of visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 83-53 in a Southland Conference contest at the Lakefront Arena on Thursday night.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans - 53, A&M-Corpus Christi - 83
LOCATION: Lakefront Arena - New Orleans, La.
RECORDS: New Orleans (9-8/5-3), A&M-Corpus Christi (12-6/6-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rehema Franklin led the Privateer offense with a team-high 12 points to go with two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Asia Woods was the other New Orleans athlete in double figures as she finished with 10 points and seven boards.
- Whitley Larry had a team-high nine rebounds to go with nine points as she just missed out on the double-double.
- Traya Bruce and Jada Duncantell each chipped in seven points. Bruce added three assists and two steals while Duncantell recorded a rebound and an assist.
- A&M-Corpus Christi held a 21-15 advantage after one quarter of play. Both teams shot well from the floor in the opening frame as the Islanders went 8-of-16 (.500) while the Privateers finished 7-of-15 (.467). Texas A&M-Corpus Christi made their first basket of the game and led for the remaining 9:51 of the first.
- The Islanders continued their strong play into the second as both teams recorded their same point total from the previous period as A&M-Corpus Christi scored 21 points while New Orleans finished with 15 to make it a 42-30 game at the half.
- A&M-Corpus Christi won the third quarter as well, this time by a 18-11 margin to hold a 60-41 lead heading into the final frame.
- The Islanders cruised once again in the fourth and took the air out of the ball to end it with a 83-53 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Alexes Bryant led the offensive attack with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Dalesia Booth chipped in 19 points, eight boards, two steals and two assists.
- Emma Young rounded out the offense with 10 points while La'Janeira Robinson added eight.
- The Islanders shot 54.5 percent from the field along with a mark of 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
COACHES CORNER WITH KEESHAWN DAVENPORT
"That's a great wake up call. This bend in the road is not the end of the road and for me that's a great learning lesson for the team. They have to come out ready every single night. We did not practice and prepare well and I kept telling them if we don't do that this will be the end result. I'd rather this happen now than in a championship game for them to realize that every single night we have to get out there and give it our all. We definitely didn't play our best ball tonight. The great thing is, it gives us breathe in our bodies and we get to get back in the gym tomorrow to get back to work."
NEXT UP
The Privateers remain in New Orleans for another Southland conference game, this time against Nicholls on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Lakefront Arena. The contest will be part of a doubleheader with the men's program and will get the day started with a 4 PM CST tip. Both Privateer games will feature the AllState Sugar Bowl Presents Basketball Alumni Day promo to cap off an alumni weekend with both the men's and women's programs.
