LAKE CHARLES—McNeese women's basketball held off several scoring runs by New Orleans here Saturday at the Legacy Center on its way to a 72-61 win that extended the Cowgirls winning streak to three games.
 
"Give UNO a lot of credit, they are getting healthier and we knew they were going to stay in games," said head coach Lynn Kennedy.
 
The Cowgirls offense is coming together and putting a lot of pressure on defenses with several players stepping up and hitting big shots in key moments of the game.
 
Cristina Gil led the Cowgirls with 19 points while Kaili Chamberlin pitched in with 15 points. Divine Tanks and Desirae Hansen both scored 12 points with Hansen picking up her first double double of the season with a game high 11 rebounds. Tanks missed picking up her second double double of the season by one rebound. She was credited with nine, six coming on defense.
 
Hansen was 4 of 9 from the field with all four baskets coming from three-point range. Hansen started off slow but got hot in the second half where she connected on three treys.
 
The Cowgirls (8-10, 3-2 SLC) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the early minutes of the game then extended the lead to 10-1 on a three-pointer on the first of three 3-pointers by Gil. A cold drought by the Cowgirls allowed UNO to pull to within two points 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.
 
"I loved our start of the game, I loved our intensity at the start of the third quarter, and I loved our execution in the fourth when they cut it to six, we came out of a time out and executed on three possessions in a row exactly like we wanted," Kennedy said.
 
With 2:42 to play and the Cowgirls leading 63-57, Chamberlin knocked down a three from the corner then Gil drove the lane twice for two layups to essentially seal the win.
 
McNeese took its first double figure lead on a Tanks layup with 7:40 left in the third quarter and held as much as a 12 point lead midway through the quarter. UNO cut the lead back to single digits late in the quarter but the Cowgirls responded with a 7-4 run to put the lead back to double figures heading into the fourth.
 
The Cowgirls offense in the second half was in better rhythm a lot of this was due to the defensive intensity stepping up which allowed the offense to get better looks which included 6 of 10 from behind the arc.
 
"Our defensive intensity picked up in the third quarter and that allowed us to have better flow offensively. I thought we in the first half we rushed some shot but in the second half, especially late we were in rhythm and had great spacing and that allowed to knock those shots down,"
 
UNO fell to 1-11 overall and 0-5 in league play. DeArica Pryor led the Privateers in scoring with 16 points while Zanaa Cordis came off the bench to score 15 points.
 
McNeese will remain home for two more games next week against Southeastern Thursday and Northwestern State on Saturday.
 
 
GAME NOTES

• Was the third consecutive win for the Cowgirls this season
• Was the first home win over UNO since Feb. 2016 when the Cowgirls won 92-63 in a game that was played at the Lake Charles Civic Center
• Desirae Hansen recorded her first double double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds
• Four Cowgirls scored in double figures (Gil- 19, Chamberlin- 15, Hansen- 12, Tanks- 12)
• Tanks led McNeese with nine rebounds
• Cowgirls never trailed in the game
• Scored 26 points in the paint
• Scored 11 second chance points