EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice Women's Basketball closed the first and third quarters in impressive fashion to pull away from North American University 76-65 on Tuesday inside the HPRE Center.  The Bengals (10-3) handed the Stallions their first loss of the season.
 
Two critical runs helped the Bengals secure the win over NAU.  The first came in the first quarter as LSUE used a 10-0 run to break an early tie game, jump started by Kamiera McDonald (Baton Rouge, LA, Scotlandville HS) knocking down a three pointer with 2:28 left in the frame.  The spurt ended at the quarter buzzer on a Reesie Jinks (Grant, LA, Fairview HS) floater, pushing the LSUE lead to 22-12. 
 
The Stallions would fight back in the second with the Bengals holding on to a 33-31 lead at intermission.
 
NAU would regain the lead in the third quarter before another run would put LSUE ahead for good.  Down 48-44 with under four minutes remaining in the frame, McDonald would again spark LSUE.  The sophomore hit back-to-back three pointers with Jinks adding five points of her own in an 11-0 burst to help LSUE take a 57-48 advantage.
 
The Bengals would expand their lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter, headlined by Paulina Reichenauer (Waiblingen, Germany, Salier Gymnasium) scoring 10 of her game-high 19 points in the final frame.
 
Jinks added 18 points off the bench while McDonald chipped in 15 of her own.  LSUE would connect on eight three-point buckets with McDonald leading the way off a trio of triples.
 
The Bengals continue their season-long nine-game homestand on Thursday against Copiah-Lincoln CC.  Tip-off from the HPRE Center is set for 6:00PM with action seen live on the LSUE Digital Network.