NEW ORLEANS- McNeese women's basketball let an 11-point third quarter lead slip away here Thursday night and allowed New Orleans to score 32 fourth quarter points, the most allowed by McNeese this season in a 92-85 Southland Conference loss.
 
McNeese (11-13, 6-7 SLC) was led in scoring by Victoria Rachal's 22 points. Rachal was 11 of 19 from the field. Mady Brasseaux scored a career high 14 points, 12 of which came from three-point land. Brasseaux was 4 of 7 behind the arc. Caitlin Davis added 12 with half of her points coming from the free throw line. Frederica Haywood led McNeese in rebounds with 15, nine of which came on the defensive end.
 
The Cowgirls held a 26-22 first quarter lead and a 43-38 halftime lead that saw the Cowgirls shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free throw line. Despite UNO shooting 50.0 from the field in the first half, McNeese held UNO's leading scorer (Randi Brown) to eight first half points but the Privateers did get 10 first half points from Jewel Angelo. Rachal and Brasseaux both led McNeese in scoring at the half with eight points apiece.
 
Leading by two points early in the third quarter, McNeese went on a 9-0 run to take a 52-41 lead, its largest of the game. UNO cut the lead to six points on two free throws with less than five minutes left in the quarter but Brasseaux extended the Cowgirl lead back to nine points with a trey. UNO would outscore McNeese 9-4 in the final 3:38 in the quarter but the Cowgirls hung onto a 64-60 lead heading into the final stanza.
 
Rachal opened the fourth quarter with a layup for a 66-60 McNeese lead but an old fashion three-point play by Angelo brought UNO to within three. A Layup by Brown and another layup by Angelo gave UNO a 67-66 lead. Rachal's jumper with 7:02 to play cut the UNO lead to one (69-68) but the Cowgirls weren't able to get any closer as the Privateers went on to pick up its second win over McNeese this season.
 
After Brown was held to eight, first half points, the junior scored 18 second half points to end the game with a game high 24. Angelo scored 23 while Shania Woods added 18 and Danielle Wright chipped in with 14. Both Woods and Raven Coleman both had double figure rebounds with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
McNeese will return home Saturday to host Nicholls in a 1 p.m. game, the only contest against the Colonels this season.