Saints Women Allow Late Comeback in Loss to NAU

STAFFORD, TEXAS (Feb. 22, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's basketball team lost to North American University (NAU) 73-67 on Thursday night. The Saints move to 9-16 overall and 8-12 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Stallions improve to 13-15 overall and 8-10 in conference.

Head Coach Tanya Ray said, "I'm disappointed in the outcome tonight. We had poor communication on defense and bad decisions on offense, and that ultimately cost us the game."

History

The Saints were 1-1 against the Stallions prior to the game.

Basics

The Stallions shot 60 percent from three-point range in the first quarter, and they outscored the Saints 16-13 in the frame. OLLU responded before halftime by scoring 22 points in the second quarter. They hit 9-of-16 shots from the field and Carrie Barrera-Lacy had eight points at halftime. The Saints led by five points at the break and forced 10 turnovers by the Stallions.

The Saints continued to shoot well in the third quarter by hitting 50 percent of shots from both the field and three-point range. Tiffany Lopez, Ariadna Gallardo and Julia Plata all had six points in the frame. Cormia Lewis added four rebounds. The Saints entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead. The Stallions fought back to tie the game with under two minutes left. NAU hit two layups and made four free throws in the final minutes to win 73-67.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Lewis led the Saints with 15 points. Barrera-Lacy tallied a team-high six rebounds. Evangeline Hernandez totaled five assists.

Keiarra Rivers led NAU with 21 points. Desiree Rogers grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds. Kayla Dickey led the team with seven assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 23-of-59 shooting for 39 percent, 3-of-15 from three-point range for 20 percent and hit 18-of-27 free throws for 66.7 percent. NAU shot 27-of-57 for 47.4 percent, 7-of-18 three pointers for 38.9 percent and 12-of-27 from the free-throw line for 44.4 percent.

The Saints grabbed 25 rebounds while NAU collected 41. The Saints forced 15 turnovers and committed 12.

Up next

The Saints head to New Orleans to face Xavier University of Louisiana on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.