LAKE CHARLES, La. – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team will take to the court as they begin their journey in the Southland Tournament. The 7-seed Privateers will rematch against the 6-seed and hosts McNeese Cowgirls on Monday. Tip is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
The Privateers just matched up with McNeese in the regular season finale. McNeese won 68-56 and the teams split the season series. New Orleans won the matchup at Lakefront Arena 65-59.
New Orleans is looking to build off last season which saw them win their first Southland Tournament game against Northwestern State. The Privateers have qualified for six conference tournaments in the last seven seasons.
Though four wins are required by any first day team to hoist the title, there have been several runs from the first day to championship day. Since 2015, five teams have played their way from the first day to the final. Two of those (Northwestern State-2015 and UIW-2022) won it all.
DeArica Pryor was an All-Southland and All-Defensive selection for the 2022-23 season. Pryor led the conference in scoring (15.6 PPG) and steals (2.8 SPG). The Urbandale, Iowa native was also 18
th in the nation in steals at the conclusion of the regular season. She has nine games of 20 or more points and has scored in double figures 21 times.
Tara Green has scored in double-figures in four straight games and six of the last eight entering the tournament. In Southland only games, Green is averaging 11.5 points per game. She also shot 53 percent from the field in that stretch, second-best in the Southland behind Akasha Davis (Lamar).
The Privateers finished the regular season first in the Southland in offensive rebounds per game (14.4). Three times this season, New Orleans has hauled in 20 or more offensive boards (Grambling, Mississippi Valley State, Nicholls).
Divine Tanks leads the Cowgirls in field goal percentage, connecting on 48.1 percent of her shots this season. In two games against New Orleans, Tanks has scored 36 points. McNeese as a team averages just over 20 free throw attempts a game which ranks 36
th in the country.
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