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NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team will open their 2022-23 campaign in West Texas when they face the UTEP Miners on Monday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
The Privateers will be playing the Miners for the first time since 1990 and the third time ever. The all-time series is tied at 1-1.
One of the key parts of this squad is the experience returning. There were 73 games started last season between
DeArica Pryor,
Nahja Scott,
Zoe Cooper and
Tiana Gipson. Cooper was the team's leading rebounder a season ago. The quartet also accounts for 50 percent of the minutes played from last season.
Gipson played 35 or more minutes five times last year. The Kansas City native had a season-best 18 points in a game against UIW. She ended the regular season last year by hitting 17 triples in the team's last eight games.
There are five newcomers to add to the fold.
Hennessey Luu-Brown is expected to figure prominently at the point guard position along with true freshman,
Imani Williams. Also,
Nora Francois and
Tara Green will add depth on the interior.
Kristen Crenshaw-Gill, a transfer from Kentucky who averaged 26 points per game in high school also joins the squad in her first game with New Orleans.
New Orleans was selected to finish ninth in the preseason Southland poll. The Privateers will be one of eight Southland teams in action on Monday.
UTEP is coming into this game off an exhibition win on Saturday against Western New Mexico. The Miners were locked in a tight battle but pulled away in the second half to a 72-59 win after leading by only one point at halftime.
Coach Kevin Baker will be incorporating eight new players into the mix this season. The Miners do return two starters in Avery Crouse and Elina Arike. Of the eight newcomers, seven are transfers with four coming directly from Division I programs.
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