Texas State women’s basketball is set to take on the University of New Orleans on Nov. 28 in New Orleans, Louisiana to kick off the 2020-21 season.
Texas State is looking to bounce back this season in the Sun Belt after finishing 10th (13-17 overall, 6-12 Sun Belt) and a first-round exit in the conference tournament.
The Bobcats started 7-4 in pre-conference play last season and finished 13-17. They averaged 61.8 points per game (eighth in Sun Belt), 34.7 rebounds per game (ninth in Sun Belt) and 13.9 assists per game (second in Sun Belt). Texas State also had the seventh-ranked field goal percentage (.383) and the fifth-best three-point shooting percentage (.302) in the Sun Belt.
The Privateers finished fifth in the Southland Conference (17-12 overall, 13-7 Southland) and unfortunately had their end early due to COVID-19 and were unable to play in the conference tournament.
In the Southland Conference, New Orleans ranked fourth in scoring (65.1), total rebounds per game (38.0) and offensive rebounds per game (13.0). They also were tied for the fourth-lowest opponent shooting percentage (.396) and had the sixth-ranked scoring defense in the Southland.
Head Coach Zenarae Antoine is entering her 11th season at Texas State with an overall record of 138-143 in 10 seasons.
Texas State will go into the new season without Brooke Holle and Bailey Holle. The Bobcats are looking to improve from work put in during the off-season.
Junior point guard Kennedy Taylor and junior forward Da’Nasia Hood will be leading the team this season after impressive seasons last year. Taylor led the Sun Belt in assists (5.8), was second in minutes played (35.7), fifth in steals (1.9) and top 30 in scoring (9.9). Hood was ninth in scoring (13.6) in the Sun Belt, tenth in defensive rebounding (4.7) and 13th in minutes played (32.0).
New Orleans parted ways with six seniors after the 2019-20 season. Now the team only has a total of six upperclassmen and 10 underclassmen. The Privateers will be introducing some new faces on the floor this season.
Returning for New Orleans is sophomore guard Mia Deck who was the third-leading scorer (7.4 points per game) along with 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for the Privateers. Also returning for New Orleans is senior guard Dionjhae Thomas who averaged 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game during her junior season. Thomas also shot the ball 40.2% for field goals.
This is the second meeting between the teams; the first game was last year on Nov. 27, 2019, where Texas State won 51-49. The Bobcats now have their sights on a second straight victory against New Orleans.
The Bobcats’ first game will be available to stream on Privateer Sports Network at 12 p.m. Nov. 28.