New Orleans wins at Incarnate Word

University of New Orleans sophomore forward Shania Woods posted a double-double with a career-best 21 points and a season-high 14 rebounds as the University of New Orleans women’s basketball team hung on for a 71-67 Southland Conference win against Incarnate Word Saturday afternoon in the McDermott Convocation Center.
The Privateers appeared in control with a 54-41 lead at the end of the third quarter, and New Orleans was up 61-53 with 5:55 to play.
The Cardinals, however, used a 13-5 run during the next 3:09 to cut its deficit to 66-64.
A 3-pointer by New Orleans junior guard Randi Brown the next time down the court gave New Orleans a five-point cushion, and the defense held Incarnate Word to a 1-for-5 shooting effort during the final 1:14 to hang on for the win.
New Orleans snapped a two-game skid to improve to 7-7 overall and even its Southland record at 2-2.
Incarnate Word, meanwhile, fell to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in league action.
“I’m so proud of Shania, because she is not feeling well, so I asked her if she could be sick next game,” New Orleans Head Coach Keeshawn Davenport chuckled. “We had to score inside, and she provided that even after they started to double team her. Shania’s work inside opened things for us outside.”
Brown led all players with 30 points and was one of three Privateers to finish in double figures offensively. Junior guard Kayla Mundy added 11 points.
Senior guard Ariele Davis led New Orleans with four assists, while Brown tallied two blocks and redshirt-sophomore guard Mariah Wright paced the defense with three steals.
As a team, New Orleans hit 48.2 percent of its shots from the field (27-of-56), including a .476 clip from beyond the 3-point arch (10-of-21). The Privateers also used their size inside for a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint.
The Cardinals scored the game’s first bucket on a 3-pointer by Melina Merritt, but the Privateers answered with 13 consecutive points for a 13-3 lead with 2:31 remaining in the opening quarter.
New Orleans’ first-half lead swelled to as many as 12 at 17-5 just under two minutes later and again at 24-12 with 4:57 remaining in the second quarter.
Incarnate Word got to within six on a bucket by Imani Robinson and sandwiched 3-pointers by Celia Garcia Paunero and Alexandra Busby-Leija between a Woods layup to make it 26-20.
New Orleans, however, scored five of the period’s final seven points for a 31-22 halftime lead.
Things continued to go the Privateers way in the third period as New Orleans’ lead slipped to 39-33 only to answer with an 11-2 run to go up by 15 with 2:13 remaining in the frame.
Once the fourth quarter started, though, the Cardinals gave the home crowd something to get excited about as shots fell and defensive stops brought the fans to their feet.
Clinging to a five-point lead following Brown’s trey with 1:46 remaining, the Privateers let Incarnate Word hang around for a bit by hitting just 1-of-4 free throws late.
The Cardinals had a chance to tie the game with a shot from downtown, but Cheyenne Berry’s 3-point try was off the mark.
Woods hauled in the rebound, was fouled and connected on 1-of-2 free throws for the final score.
Garcia Paunero led three Cardinals in double figures with 23 points, while Cassandra Robinson and Berry followed with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Paunero added 10 rebounds for a double-double, Ramirez had a team-best three steals and Robinson paced the squad with four assists.
“This win is really good because it’s been a long trip, but we end it on a positive note with a home game and a bye week coming up,” Davenport said in a news release. “We are in a good position in conference, and it’s an any-given-night situation.”
The Privateers return to action Thursday at home against Sam Houston State at 5:30 p.m.