Noel's Career High Leads Bengals to Victory
Erica Noel (Carencro, La., Carencro HS) topped her own career high in scoring Saturday afternoon as LSU Eunice defeated Delgado 77-59.
Noel finished with 31 points, including six three-pointers, eclipsing her previous high of 27 on New Year’s Day 2010 versus Murray State. All of this occurred on “Sophomore Day”, where the Lady Bengal program honored the team’s sophomore players before the final home game of the schedule tipped off.
Inspired by the pre-game ceremonies, the Bengals got off to a hot start, hitting their first five shots from the field, including 4 three-point baskets, giving the Bengals a commanding 14-2 lead before forcing a quick timeout by Delgado.
Delgado was able to close the gap throughout the first half, led by Kayla Jackson, who hit 7 shots in the first half, notching 14 points, accounting for two-thirds of the teams’ first 21 points. This effort reigned in the Lady Bengals lead at the half, with the Bengals leading 34-28
If the first half was a solo act for Erica Noel, she shared the spotlight in a second half duet with freshman
Maggie Vilar (Alexandria, La., Menard HS). Vilar led all second half scorers with 13 points, after going scoreless in the first frame. Noel added 12 points of her own to give the Bengals their eventual victory.
LSU Eunice (14-8), ranked 9th in the NJCAA, will now hit the road for the rest of the season, with their first stop Houston, Texas when they face San Jacinto on February 23. The team has also qualified for the NJCAA District Tournament, which will take place on March 4-5 in Overland Park, KS.
