New Orleans falls to Central Arkansas

The New Orleans Privateers women’s basketball team (5-10, 2-4) held the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears (15-2, 5-1) to 34.7 percent from the field but got off just 39 shots in a 59-44 loss Thursday night at the Lakefront Arena.
The game was tight throughout the first half as the largest lead was eight by Central Arkansas in the second quarter.
Early on, the Sugar Bears relied on the three-point shot, which kept them in front for most of the first half. Central Arkansas drained four triples, including three from Brianna Mullins.
There were five ties and three lead changes in the opening half, but the Privateers trailed 25-17 with 6:31 left in the second. New Orleans slowly chipped back into that advantage, and Yasmin Taylor’s second-chance bucket with less than a minute remaining closed the gap to two. The Privateers then committed three turnovers in the final minute and entered the half trailing 31-25.
The second half started on even terms and stayed that way until the 3:15 mark. Central Arkansas was leading by eight when it went on an 8-2 run to end the quarter. The spurt was capped by a Mullins layup to push the Sugar Bears lead to 49-35 entering the fourth.
“We didn’t do a great job of guarding the three-point line,” New Orleans coach Keeshawn Davenport said. “While we held (Maggie) Proffitt to three points in the first half, we allowed Mullins to do some damage. We just lost a couple of assignments, and when you look at the stats, that’s what hurt us.”
New Orleans held the Sugar Bears to just three points through the first four minutes of the final quarter but could not make a dent in the lead. Central Arkansas hit seven three-pointers and went 18-for-20 from the free throw line.
New Orleans committed 19 turnovers, including 12 in the second half. The teams tied in rebounds at 30 apiece.
Shania Woods led the Privateers with 12 points on 6-of-11 from the field. Woods also added two blocks in 22 minutes. Randi Brown, a Central Catholic High alum, scored eight points, and Alexis Martin added six. New Orleans outscored Central Arkansas 28-14 in the paint but committed 12 turnovers in the second half and 19 overall.
“A lot of those turnovers were unforced,” Davenport said in a news release. “We have to value those possessions. We finished the game with 19 of them and that hurts. When you play a team like UCA who can capitalize on turnovers, that makes a big difference.”
The Sugar Bears were led by Mullins, who had 18 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Proffitt added 13 points (10 in the second half). Jameka Watkins scored 12 points and went 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
New Orleans next will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday on the road. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.