EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice Women's Basketball made its opening case of being a serious contender in Region 23 this year after an impressive 78-44 victory over Pearl River at home on Tuesday. The Bengals (4-1) defeated the three-time defending MACCC regular season champion Wildcats for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Bengals put an exclamation point on the win, holding Pearl River to just five points in the fourth quarter – the lowest point total in a quarter for PRCC in nearly five seasons. LSUE used a 23-5 to close out the game, with trio of
Reesie Jinks (Grant, LA, Fairview HS),
Edurne Diaz de la Serna Munoz (Ripollet, Spain, Institut Palau Ausit), and
Ayana Woods (Destrehan, LA, Prairieville HS) producing all the offense needed to push the Bengals' lead by more than 30 points.
Jinks kept up her red-hot pace to being the season, leading all scorers with 19 points. The sophomore point guard fell just short of a triple-double for a second straight game, adding a team-high eight assists and seven rebounds.
Diaz scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. Woods added nine points off the bench.
LSU Eunice never trailed against Pearl River, using first half spurts of 7-0 and 12-4 to take a commanding 41-22 edge at halftime.
Logan Cookmeyer (Walker, LA, Walker HS) was again the hot hand in the first half, netting all 15 of her points before intermission including 10 in the first quarter alone.
Aryanna Ridgeway (Nashville, TN, Ezell Harding Christian School) also played a pivotal role in gaining the first half lead. The sophomore bucketed nine of her 12 points in the first half – one of four Bengals to record double digit points.
The Bengal defense was again key in LSUE's victory, forcing 23 turnovers including a team-high eight steals from Cookmeyer. LSUE also held Pearl River to just 34.0% from the field (17-for-50) and 13.6% from three-point range (3-for-22). The Wildcats did not have a scorer in double figures.
LSU Eunice hits the road this weekend for a pair of games in the Lone Star State. The Bengals face Hill College on Friday, November 13 before a trip to McLennan CC on Saturday, November 14.
