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HOUSTON – Behind
Tayler Jefferson's season-high 17 points, HBU defeated visiting New Orleans, 66-54, Thursday evening from Sharp Gym.
Jefferson shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line to lead HBU (7-11 overall, 3-4 SLC). She also had two assists, three steals, and one rebound in a game-high 36 minutes played.
Erin McGarrachan,
Shanice Steenholdt, and
Anna Strickland each scored eight points, with Strickland pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.
Raven Coleman recorded a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans (0-18 overall, 0-7 SLC). Octavia Wilson led the Privateers with 17 points, while Jewel Angelo added 12.
HBU led by two, 6-4, before Jefferson forced a turnover and hit her first three-pointer of the game in a four-second span to give the Huskies a five-point lead, 9-4, with 13:53 to go in the opening half. The Huskies then went on a 17-6 run to lead by 16, 26-10, following a jumper by
Ekemini Essien at the 9:28-mark.
A steal, followed by a layup, by
Rachel Arthur at the 4:48-mark gave the Huskies their biggest lead of the half, 32-13. The Privateers battled back and cut the deficit to 13 at halftime following a layup by Coleman with three seconds remaining.
Jefferson led all players with 11 points, as she went a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown, and 3-for-4 from the floor. Coleman led New Orleans with 10 first-half points.
Jefferson never cooled off in the locker room, as she started the second half hitting her fourth 3-pointer of the game to give the Huskies a 16-point lead, 40-24, just 15 seconds into the second half.
The Huskies led by as many as 22 before New Orleans made a furious comeback and used a 20-9 run to cut the deficit to just 11, 59-43, with 6:54 to go in regulation. That was the closest the Privateers came as HBU scored seven of the next eight points to increase its lead to 16 with 1:47 remaining.
HBU hosts Southeastern Louisiana Saturday at 3 pm in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
