COMMERCE, Texas – The New Orleans Privateers battled valiantly through foul trouble early and a last second putback sent the game to overtime but the A&M-Commerce Lions prevailed by the score of 84-78 on Saturday at The Field House.
Jayla Kimbrough scored on a putback layup that tied the game and sent it into overtime after the Privateers were trailing by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter. That put an extra five minutes on the clock where
DeArica Pryor hit three triples.
Her last three-pointer tied the game at 76-76 with 1:41 left in the overtime period. Mia Deck responded for the Lions with a turnaround jumper in the lane on the next possession.
Down three with under 40 seconds left, the Privateers had a chance to tie the game right back but a three-point attempt fell short. A&M-Commerce finished out the game by going 5-of-6 from the free throw line to seal the win.
The Privateers raced out to an early 9-3 lead within the first 1:46 of play, which forced an early Lions timeout. After A&M-Commerce scored the next seven points to take their first lead of the day, the rest of the first half was a back-and-forth battle.
However, the Privateers managed to keep themselves ahead for most of the first half behind hitting 50 percent of their shots from the field and holding the Lions to just 32.4 percent. However, A&M-Commerce made up the difference at the charity stripe as they had eight points in 12 attempts to the Privateers' three in five free throw attempts.
When the dust settled, the score was tied at 35-35 at the half. The Privateers had five of their nine players who saw minutes in the first half tagged with two fouls.
Three players (two for New Orleans and one for A&M-Commerce) fouled out in a game that saw 53 total fouls called.
INSIDE THE BOX
Pryor finished with a season-high 32 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double as a Privateer. Kimbrough added 15 points and six rebounds.
Alexis Calderon added 14 points.
Zoe Cooper also reached double digits in rebounds with 10.
The Lions were led by Ahmya Boyce's 26 points. Deck had 23 points and Mary Delgado added 16.
NEXT UP
The Privateers return home to face Nicholls on Thursday, Feb. 15. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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