NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans women's basketball team set a new program record with their 12
th conference win of the season as the Privateers collected an 82-76 Southland Conference victory against visiting Northwestern State at the Lakefront Arena on Wednesday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans - 82, Northwestern St. - 76
LOCATION: Lakefront Arena – New Orleans, La.
RECORDS: New Orleans (16-12/12-7), Northwestern St. (7-21/4-15)
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Rehema Franklin led the scoring charge once again as she finished with 21 points (on 9-of-15 shooting) to go with four rebounds and two assists. It was the senior guard's 18
th double-digit scoring output of the season along with being the eighth time that she has reached the 20-point plateau so far this year.
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Asia Woods returned to her usual strong form with 14 points as she shot 7-of-11 from the field to go along with five boards, two assists and a block.
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Jada Duncantell made her first start in the last five games and provided the Privateers with the spark they were looking for as she posted totals of 12 points, three assists and two rebounds.
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Dionjhae Thomas picked up 11 points to go with a career-high tying six steals. She also had three assists, two boards and a block.
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Vaquela Pimpton and
Mia Deck each wrapped up their night with nine points apiece. Pimpton had three steals and two assists while Deck concluded her evening with two assists and two boards.
- New Orleans and Northwestern State played a very close opening quarter with the Privateers ending the first with a slight 16-14 edge.
- It was all Privateers in the second as they were able to score 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting (57.9 percent) to go with a 4-of-7 mark from beyond the arc. A Duncantell buzzer-beating three at the horn sent the Privateers to the half with a 46-35 advantage.
- The third quarter was just as close as the first, as this time the Lady Demons were able to record a one-point advantage (21-20) as the teams went into the fourth with the Privateers still up, 66-56.
- The Privateers played a conservative fourth to close out the 82-76 victory.
- New Orleans scored 27 points off turnovers and recorded 40 points in the paint.
- The Privateer bench also chipped in 32 points in total.
- Players listed as guards on the New Orleans roster accounted for 62 points.
NOTABLES
- The victory gave the Privateers 12 conference wins on the year, the most the team has ever recorded in a single-season in program history.
- While the opponent is still up in the air, New Orleans clinched the No. 5 spot in the upcoming Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament with the win. That means that the Privateers will take to the court for their opening round game on Thursday, March 12 at 11 AM CT.
COACHES CORNER
FOR THE FOES
- Jasmyn Johnson finished with a game-high 23 points along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
- Lacee Savage and Kira Bonner each chipped in 16 points. Savage added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals while Bonner recorded four boards, four assists and three steals.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will end the regular season with their Senior Day Celebration against Southeastern on Saturday, March 7 at 4 PM CT at the Lakefront Arena. The game will celebrate the careers of New Orleans six seniors;
Rehema Franklin,
Vaquela Pimpton,
Kayla Thomas,
Asia Woods,
Whitley Larry and
Kyla Malone.
A pregame ceremony will preclude the contest. It is the last home event for the squad until they head to the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Championships in Katy, Texas, March 12-15.
Fans can find tickets for Saturday's Senior Day here.
