New Orleans Women’s Basketball drops back and forth battle with Central Arkansas

CONWAY, Ark. – The New Orleans women’s basketball program found itself on the wrong side of an exciting back-and-forth Southland Conference battle, 58-53, against host Central Arkansas in the Harris Center on Wednesday night.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans – 53, UCA 58
LOCATION: Farris Center – Conway, Ark.
RECORDS: New Orleans 4-11 (1-8 SLC), UCA 7-10 (5-4 SLC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
– New Orleans started fast as they recorded a 14-7 edge after one quarter of play.
– Central Arkansas flipped the script in the second as they notched a 16-7 advantage to take a narrow 23-21 lead into the half.
– The third quarter is when the fireworks started as New Orleans retook the lead, 24-23, 11 seconds into the frame off a Kyla Davis three-pointer.
– The Sugar Bears then went on a 9-0 run to push their edge to 32-24 with 7:32 left in the quarter.
– New Orleans answered with a 13-0 run of its own to take a 37-32 advantage with 4:50 in the period.
– Central Arkansas closed the quarter strong with a 9-1 surge over the final 4:36 to retake a 41-38 edge into the fourth.
– The Privateers fought back hard and tied the game at 48 off a Zanaa Cordis layup with 5:31 left to go.
– Central Arkansas then focused on clock control as they closed the game on an 8-3 run to finish off the Southland victory.

GAME NOTES
– Senior Dionjhae Thomas carried the scoring load once against for the Privateers as she finished with a team-high 14 points and six assists. The Thibodaux, La. native has now reached double-digits in scoring in six straight games as she has averaged 15.3 points over the streak.
– Jada Duncantell was second on New Orleans with 10 points as she also chipped in two rebounds, two assists and tied a season-high with three steals.
– Freshman guard Kyla Davis recorded eight points (2-of-5 from beyond the arc) and a career-best three takeaways and six boards.
– Zoe Cooper also tied a career-high with three steals and chipped in four points and a block.
– Zanaa Cordis blocked two shots which tied a season and career-high. It is the third time this year that the freshman forward has rejected the opposition twice in the same game.
– There were five lead changes and the score was tied seven times as the teams battled throughout the second and fourth quarters.
– The Privateers got 14 points off the bench, 24 in the paint and 13 off turnovers.
– An already short-handed bench due to injuries was stretched even thinner at the end of the game as the Privateers lost three student-athletes to fouls.
– Head Coach Keeshawn Davenport returned to the New Orleans sidelines after she missed the previous three contests due to COVID-19 protocol.

NEXT UP
New Orleans will play in part two of a three-game Southland trip as the Privateers remain on the road for a matchup with  UIW on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas. Tipoff for the conference contest is set for 3 PM CT.