The New Orleans Privateers women’s basketball team is set for a split week, traveling to face East Texas A&M on Thursday before returning home to play Northwestern State on Saturday.
In their most recent game, the Privateers were defeated 77-41 by McNeese. Despite the loss, they held McNeese to 37.5 percent shooting from the field, marking the Cowgirls’ third lowest field goal percentage in a Southland Conference game this season. Brialle Washington reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in her last seven games with 10 points.
Jayla Kimbrough has been performing well since Southland Conference play began, ranking sixth in both rebounding and free throw percentage. She averages 6.7 rebounds per game against conference opponents and has made 82.4 percent of her free throws during that span.
Defensively, the Privateers have limited their opponents to a collective field goal percentage of 38.5 over their last nine games. In late December, they held UTRGV to just 30.3 percent shooting. Earlier in the season, none of their first ten opponents were held below 40 percent from the field; seven of those teams shot over 50 percent.
Shanihya Brown remains among the top five Southland players in both assists and steals this season. She is third in assists with an average of 3.9 per game and leads the league in steals at 2.7 per game.
The Privateers previously lost to East Texas A&M by a score of 72-63 on January 3 at Lakefront Arena. The upcoming matchup is important as East Texas A&M currently holds eighth place and a two-game lead over New Orleans with eleven games remaining.
East Texas A&M enters Thursday’s contest after four consecutive losses following a balanced start to conference play at three wins and three losses. Their most recent scheduled game against Northwestern State was postponed due to inclement weather. The Lions are currently leading the Southland Conference in free throw shooting at 74.1 percent, while Tiani Ellison ranks third among conference scorers with an average of 14.8 points per game.
Northwestern State stands sixth in the conference standings with a record of six wins and four losses but recently dropped back-to-back road games against UIW and Stephen F. Austin. The Lady Demons have posted a rebounding margin of +3.7, which is third best in the league, and Vernell Atamah leads all Southland scorers at an average of 18.4 points per game.
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