Women’s Basketball: Southeastern outlasts New Orleans for 59-51 overtime victory

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University women’s basketball team outscored New Orleans, 9-1, in overtime on the way to a 59-51 victory in Southland Conference action Thursday evening in the University Center.

Southeastern (13-9, 9-3 Southland) held the Privateers to just 15 points after halftime to snap a three-game losing streak. New Orleans fell to 2-16 overall and 1-10 in league action.

“We won this game on the defensive end,” Southeastern head coach Ayla Guzzardo said. “We changed our entire mindset defensively after halftime and that was the difference.”

Alexius Horne and Chrissy Brown led SLU on the offensive end with each scoring 14 points off the bench. The duo was joined in double figures by Caitlyn Williams, who chipped in with 10 points. Williams and Brown shared team-high honors with eight rebounds, while Horne chipped in with a team-high four assists.

“We took Lex and Chrissy out of the starting lineup and they could’ve hung their heads,’ Guzzardo commented. “They knew we needed them to spark us off the bench and they did what we asked of them.”

Jomyra Mathis led the Privateers with 15 points, while Kyla Davis chipped in with 10 points off the bench for UNO. Mathis also paced New Orleans with six rebounds and four assists.

New Orleans took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it in regulation. The Privateers had a chance to win it at the buzzer, as Zoe Cooper was fouled with 0.4 seconds left. However, Cooper missed both free throws to give Southeastern a second life in overtime.

Horne scored five of SLU’s nine points in overtime and Hailey Giaratano was able to ice the game from the free throw line. A smothering SLU defense held the Privateers to 0-for-6 shooting in overtime.

Southeastern will close out its home schedule on Saturday, hosting Nicholls at 1 p.m. in the University Center. Saturday will be Senior Day at the University Center, as Williams, Brown, Morgan Carrier, Breonca Ducksworth, Morgan Davis and Kacey Bradford will be honored prior to the game.

“These seniors have helped change the culture of our program,” Guzzardo said. “They’ve given a lot to our program and we want to send this group out with a win.”

New Orleans 51 (2-16, 1-10 SLC)
Scott 1-3 0-4 2, Cooper 2-2 0-2 4, Mathis 5-12 3-5 15, Gipson 3-10 0-0 9, Pryor 3-14 0-0 7, Cordis 2-4 0-0 4, Davis 3-8 1-2 10, Dianis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 4-13 51.
Southeastern 59 (13-9, 9-3 SLC)
Carrier 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 3-8 4-6 10, Cunningham 0-1 0-0 0, Bell 2-3 0-0 4, Giaratano 1-5 4-4 7, Ducksworth 1-3 0-0 2, Brown 4-8 5-7 14, Horne 5-12 2-3 14, Kelly 1-2 1-4 3, Davis 2-4 1-3 5, Harvey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-47 17-27 59.
End of 1st Quarter – UNO 21, SLU 17. Halftime – UNO 36, SLU 28. End of 3rd Quarter – UNO 45, SLU 44. End of Regulation – SLU 50, UNO 50. 3-point goals – UNO 9-27 (Gipson 3-10, Davis 3-8, Mathis 2-4, Pryor 1-5), SLU 4-10 (Horne 2-3, Giaratano 1-3, Brown 1-3). Technical Fouls – None. Fouled Out – Mathis, Cordis. Rebounds – UNO 24 (Mathis 6), SLU 40 (Brown, Williams 8). Assists – UNO 10 (Mathis 4), SLU 12 (Horne 4). Total Fouls – UNO 26, SLU 17. A – 424.

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