NEW ORLEANS –
Jayla Kimbrough poured in 23 points and the New Orleans Privateers defense was strong down the stretch in a 62-55 victory over the HCU Huskies on Saturday afternoon at the Lakefront Arena.
Kimbrough helped set the tone offensively from the outset for the Privateers, but HCU was scoring efficiently in the opening stanza. The Huskies went 10-of-15 from the floor and put up 23 points in the first quarter while gaining a seven-point lead.
From there, the Privateers flipped the script with aggressive defense. HCU made only 11 field goals after the first quarter and shot 23.9 percent from the floor from the second quarter to the end of the game. The Privateer defense also forced 24 HCU turnovers.
Meanwhile, New Orleans had their best offensive quarter in the second to surge ahead. They scored 20 points and went 8-of-16 from the field. Three-pointers on consecutive possessions from
Tre'Miyah Berry and
Aaliyah Ellis cut the Huskies lead to one. The Privateers then went in front with 7:27 left in the half and never trailed from that point.
The win marks the third consecutive in the all-time series, which was the first time the Privateers have gotten the better of the Huskies in three straight contests since the two teams first met in 2013.
Tiffany Tullis hit a driving layup in the final minute of the third quarter and HCU was only trailing by one heading to the fourth. However, the Privateers steadily crept away after holding the Huskies to just two points in the first five minutes of the fourth.
Tullis notched a double-double for the Huskies with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lyric Barr finished with nine points and seven boards.
INSIDE THE BOX
Kimbrough finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 from the field and added seven rebounds.
Aaliyah Ellis and
Alexis Calderon each added nine points. Calderon also had five assists.
Brianna Ellis co-led the team in rebounds with seven.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will face UIW on Monday at 4 p.m. at the Lakefront Arena.
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