NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans women's basketball (4-24, 4-15 Southland) used a huge third quarter run to knock off UTGV (16-15, 11-9 Southland) 72-59 on Saturday afternoon at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Trailing by two at halftime, New Orleans went on a 12-0 run midway through the third quarter, creating a 43-35 advantage with 5:15 left in the period.
Nora Francois appeared to be trapped under the basket before finding
Brialle Washington in the corner for a 3-point shot, forcing a UTRGV timeout. The Privateers held UTRGV to just six points over the final eight minutes of the third quarter and took a six-point lead into the fourth.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from
Jasmine Jones and Gabby Cartagena and a layup from Shaniyah Brown midway through the fourth quarter extended the Privateers' lead to 16 points with just over five minutes to play in the game. UTRGV got as close as nine points twice before New Orleans eased its way to a 13-point victory.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with UTRGV leading early in the first quarter before a 17-6 run by the Privateers gave UNO a 21-19 lead at the end of the quarter.
Syria Butler made two 3-point shots early, and Francois controlled the paint with a pair of buckets in the post late in the quarter.
Cartagena's give-and-go layup appeared to give the Privateers a five-point lead heading into the second quarter, but Kate Hackerott made a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the first.
After UTRGV tied the game at 21 in the second period, Francois found
Tre'Miyah Berry for a 3-pointer with 7:28 left in the half. Charlotte O'Keffe's jumper with 5:15 left in the second gave the Vaqueros their first lead since the first quarter. Berry responded again – this time with a step-back shot that was eventually ruled a 2-point shot after review – to give UNO a 26-25 lead.
Francois finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was a rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Jones finished with 12 points, four assists and three rebounds. Brown finished with 11 points, two rebounds and an assist. Butler finished with nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Cartagena pulled down five rebounds to go with her five points.
O'Keefe finished the game with 20 points, including 12 of 15 from the free throw line, and 24 rebounds – the second most in Division I this season. It was her second game of 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds this season.
The Privateers women's basketball team concludes the season on Tuesday morning when they travel to the Legacy Center in Lake Charles for a morning matchup with the McNeese Cowgirls. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
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