LAKE CHARLES, La. – Behind 21 points from
Asia Woods and a strong second half overall, the New Orleans women's basketball program clinched their fourth consecutive Southland Conference Tournament berth with an 85-59 road conference win against McNeese at the H&PE Arena on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans - 85, McNeese - 59
LOCATION: H&PE – Lake Charles, La.
RECORDS: New Orleans (15-10/11-5), McNeese (5-20/2-14)
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Asia Woods recorded her second straight 20-point game as she finished with a game-high 21 points (just two off her career high) to go with seven rebounds and an assist. The senior forward was 9-of-11 from the field and hit 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
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Rehema Franklin and
Kayla Thomas were big contributors off the bench for the Privateers during the victory. Franklin recorded 15 points, five rebounds and two steals while Thomas added a season-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with a season-high four blocks and two assists.
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Dionjhae Thomas was all over the court as she posted nine points, four rebounds, two steals and a game-high five assists.
- Both
Whitley Larry and
Traya Bruce contributed eight points apiece. Larry added seven boards, an assist, a block and two steals while Bruce recorded two assists and a season-high three steals.
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Mia Deck and
Jada Duncantell rounded out the Privateer scoring attack as they finished with six and five points, respectively.
- Both teams were slow out of the gate as the two programs combined to shoot just 7-of-32 for a 21.8 shooting percentage from the field. McNeese was able to grab a one-point lead, 13-12, heading into the second.
- It was a little better offensively in the second as New Orleans grabbed a slight 21-19 edge in the quarter to take a 33-32 lead into the half.
- It was all New Orleans in the third as the Privateers hit 41.2 percent from the field to record 31 points in total, compared to McNeese's output of just 17.
- The story of the third continued into the final frame as the Privateers recorded a 21-10 edge in the quarter to close out the 26-point victory.
- The Privateers finished 33-of-74 from the field (44.6 percent) while the Cowgirls were able to knock down their shots at just a 30.6 percent clip (19-of-62).
- New Orleans dominated in the post as the squad held a 46-22 advantage in points scored in the paint.
- The Privateers forced 26 Cowgirl turnovers which led to 22 points off turnovers.
- New Orleans swept the season series against McNeese as the Privateers already picked up a 78-59 win back on Jan. 18.
- It was the second time in three games that New Orleans has recorded 85 points against a conference foe.
- The Privateers are now on a three-game winning-streak.
NOTEWORTHY
- With the victory, the Privateers clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament for the fourth straight season. New Orleans is firmly locked into the No. 5 spot with their 11-5 conference record. The Privateers trail the fourth-place team, Abilene Christian, by just a half game when this story was posted. New Orleans has a three-game lead over the group of teams bunched together behind them in the standings.
- The Privateers have now collected 11 conference victories for just the second time since joining the Southland, matching its program record set during the 2017-18 season.
FOR THE FOES
- Regan Bolton paced the Cowgirls with a team-high 17 points which included a mark of 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
- Damilola Balogun recorded a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
- This afternoon was senior day for the McNeese program.
COACHES CORNER WITH KEESHAWN DAVENPORT
NEXT UP
The Privateers will head to Corpus Christi for a Southland Conference showdown with A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Dugan Wellness Center. Tip off is set for 7 PM CT.
