COLUMBIA, Mo. – The New Orleans women's basketball program overcame a slow start and battled back for much of the second quarter against SEC power Missouri, but the Tigers would never relent their lead as the Privateers dropped an 84-45 decision in a non-conference contest at the Mizzou Arena on Wednesday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans – 45, Mizzou - 84
LOCATION: Mizzou Arena – Columbia, Missouri
RECORDS: New Orleans (1-3/0-0 SLC), Mizzou (2-1/0-0 SEC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Missouri was able to jump out to a 17-2 lead through the first six minutes of the game before New Orleans started to battle back. The Privateers outscored the Tigers over the remainder of the opening quarter by a 9-7 margin to trail by 13 after one.
- New Orleans was able to get within 10 points of Missouri just 14 seconds into the quarter off a three-pointer by Mary Delgado (see below). The two teams kept trading buckets and Missouri was able to extend its lead to 15 with 3:57 left. That's when the Tigers went on another run and were able to take a 43-21 into the half.
- The Privateers were held scoreless for the first five minutes of the third as Missouri continued to build its lead. The Tigers would go on to win the quarter by a 24-8 margin to take a 67-29 into the final frame.
- New Orleans battled hard in the fourth, which included a scoreless stretch by Missouri just south of four minutes, as the Tigers closed out their 84-45 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Delgado set a new career-high with 14 points in 20 minutes of play. The sophomore point guard also chipped in three rebounds and an assist. Delgado went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc which set a new career-best for most made three-pointers in a game. The output replaced her old career mark of 12 she set against Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 4, 2020.
- Freshman guard Brianna Ellis also had a career game. In 25 minutes of play the Palm Coast, Fla. native knocked down four of her nine shots (that included two three's) for a total of 10 points. Ellis set a new career-high in minutes played by 14 minutes during the outing.
- Freshman guard Kyla Davis continued the streak of career-bests as she hit 2-of-3 three-pointers (which included two straight in the fourth) to finish with six points. She also added a rebound.
- Senior Dionjhae Thomas set a new career-best with seven rebounds to go with eight points, four steals and an assist.
- The Privateers had 10 steals in the contest and were able to turn those Tiger turnovers into 19 points.
- New Orleans had 32 points come off the bench.
MAKING AN #IMPACT AT UNO
FOR THE FOES
- Aijha Blackwell finished with a game-high 16 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) to go with eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Ladazhia Williams went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field as she finished with 14 points, three points, two blocks and two steals.
- The Tigers had four student-athletes finish in double-digit scoring and 11 that recorded at least two points.
NEXT UP
The Privateers return to the Lakefront Arena for two contests in the next six days back. New Orleans will first host South Alabama on Sunday, Dec. 20 and then Alcorn State on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Both non-conference games will tipoff at noon central.
Both games will also be available to watch live and for free on the Privateers Sports Network which can be accessed at
UNOAthletics.com/Watch. Tickets for the contest can be purchased at
UNOAthletics.com/Tickets or by calling (504)-280-GAME.
