NEW ORLEANS – Defense and the free throw line helped the New Orleans Privateers seal the victory as they defeated the McNeese Cowgirls 67-64 on Wednesday night at the Lakefront Arena in the regular season finale.
With the score tied at 64-64,
Nora Francois got a steal and gave possession to the Privateers with 30 seconds left. On the ensuing possession,
Jayla Kimbrough was fouled attempting a floater in the lane. She made the first free throw to put the Privateers ahead. Off a miss, the Privateers got the ball back and
DeArica Pryor was immediately fouled.
Pryor went to the line and sank both free throws to give the Privateers a three-point lead. Off a timeout, McNeese could not inbound the ball cleanly as the Privateers got a steal. The final seconds ran off and New Orleans shut the door on their eighth conference win of the season.
It was a game that featured four ties and nine lead changes. Neither side led by more than eight points and that's when the Privateers led 51-43 with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Pryor got the Privateers off to a solid start as she scored nine of the team's first 14 points in the game. Pryor played all 40 minutes four days after playing all 50 minutes in the double overtime contest at UIW.
Though the game was close throughout, the Privateers spent much more time in front. They led for over 30 minutes of game time while McNeese had the upper hand on the scoreboard for just over seven minutes.
INSIDE THE BOX
Nora Francois landed just shy of her fifth double-double in six games. Francois had 12 points and nine rebounds along with four steals.
Kyla Davis and
Alexis Calderon had eight points each on the night.
Zoe Cooper had six points and two blocks.
Emilia Tenbrock led all Cowgirls with 23 points. Julia Puente added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Clara Rosini led the way in rebounds for McNeese with 13.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will head to Lake Charles to take part in the Southland Tournament starting next Monday.
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!
Visit UNOPrivateers.com/signup to stay connected and follow us @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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