Wiley stumbles at Southern University at New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS - Playing without its leading scorer and rebounder Jessica Nerestant, the Wiley University women's basketball team could not get in a rhythm offensively, as it suffered a 66-55 loss against Southern University at New Orleans in a Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) game at the Castle Thursday.
The loss snaps a season-long five-game winning streak for the Lady Wildcats. It drops the season series against the Lady Knights, falling to 3-6 on the road. Wiley was outshot 52 to 34.4 percent and only hit three of 21 three-point attempts. Celebria Peacock led the Lady Wildcats with 18 points, hitting seven shots, including two threes. She also led the team with four steals. Mya Jones followed with 13 points, four rebounds and three steals. Kelechi Dike provided 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Wiley trailed early but a jumper by Erin Love, who made her first career start and a 3-pointer by Mary Leday put it in the lead. A 3-pointer by Peacock put the Lady Wildcats ahead by three. In the last 2:49, the Lady Wildcats could not make a shot and SUNO finished the quarter with a 15-13 lead. Wiley tied the game three times in the second quarter on shots by Jones and Dike. It could not grab the lead and went into the locker room behind 31-27.
Jones gave the Lady Wildcats the lead with an and-one with 6:53 remaining in the third. Wiley turned it over four times and didn't hit a field goal for three minutes. This allowed the Lady Knights to score nine unanswered points and hold a seven-point lead. The Lady Wildcats were unable to recover. They missed five 3-pointers, shot 1-for-7 from the free throw line and turned the ball over seven times in the fourth quarter.
Wiley will look to regroup on Saturday when it visits Dillard University. The Lady Bleu Devils defeated Philander Smith University 66-60 to stay in contention for the HBCUAC regular season title.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.
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