Nov. 26, 2005

Box Score

ST. LOUIS, MO. - Le'Della Harris and Andrea Williams both scored 10 points to lead New Orleans (2-1)to a 54-50 win over Yale (0-4) Saturday evening at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. Kaitlyn Lillemoe (Minnetonka, Minn.) led all players with 16 points and Sara McCollum (Old Lyme, Conn.) had a game-high 11 rebounds for Yale in the loss.

The Privateers took an early 5-2 in the opening minutes, only to see the advantage go by the wayside on a Lillemoe three-ball to knot the score. New Orleans answered with a Smooch Rogers basket before the Bulldogs pulled ahead 8-7 on a trifecta from Kaitlin Emmerling (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at the top of the key.

The teams would feel their way through the next few minutes, with the Privateers taking a 13-11 lead. Yale then used an 8-0 run to create some separation at 19-13. The run was capped with a Julie Mantilla (Arlington Heights, Ill.) lay-up on an inbounds play. New Orleans cut the lead to 19-16 thanks to a Cookie Johnson jumper and a free throw from Rogers. The Bulldogs when on a miniature 6-0 run started on a fast break lay-up from Lillemoe.

Yale would have held a nine point cushion heading into the locker room if not for a buzzer-beating three by the Privateer's Jada Frazier.

Ashley Sentimore opened the second half on fire. After picking up a pair of quick fouls in the first half, the forward keyed a 9-2 run to start the period, transforming a 26-21 deficit, into a 30-29 lead.

Neither side could gain an advantage over the middle of the period with the score tying twice, the final time at 32-32 on a Lilliemoe lay-up.

After the tie, New Orleans would start building a lead, mostly from the paint, as they outscored Yale 40-16 in the category for the game.

The Privateer lead would grow to as many as 9 at 47-38 with 5:15 left. That is when the Yale comeback attempt would begin.

A pair of Emmerling free throws and a long jumper from Jamie Van Horne (Healdsburg, Calif.) cut the lead to 5. Lillemoe then connected on a deep ball to bring Yale within two at 3:14. A pair of free throws on the other end re-extended the lead to four, but Yale came back down and Emmerling cleaned up a Lilliemoe miss to put the score at 49-47 with 2:20 left.

After an Ashley Eason basket and a free throw from English, the Privateer's had a five point lead with just 40 seconds remaining. Van Horne then drained an uncontested three-ball from the right corner to bring the resilient Bulldogs back within 2 with 31 seconds remaining.

After English hit one of two from the stripe the Bulldogs had the ball in a position to tie the game with a three pointer. Stephanie Marciano (Edison, N.J.) drove right and tried to kick the ball out to an uncovered Van Horne, but in the process she was called for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to the Privateers.

New Orleans hit a free throw on the other end with 13 seconds left, and didn't let Yale get a quality shot off in the closing seconds to seal the 54-50 victory.