NEW ORLEANS – The Texans split their set in Louisiana, falling at New Orleans on Monday 67-59.
 
Playing at UNO's Education Day at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Tarleton State (3-7, 1-1 WAC) lost the turnover battle 17-4 as they dropped to 2-4 on the road. UNO (2-8, 0-0 SLC) snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 2-1 at home.
 
Local New Orleans schools showed out on Monday at an 11 a.m. tip for Education Day, creating a different environment the Texans had to adjust to. Overall, the Texans outshot and outrebounded the Privateers, shooting 23-of-57 (.404) from the field to UNO's 25-of-67 (.373) clip, plus a 45-36 advantage on the boards. But a 17-4 turnover disparity and a UNO free throw advantage of 13-23 to 9-of-11 spelled a Privateer win.
 
"I give New Orleans a lot of credit today," head coach Bill Brock said. "They dictated the pace of the game on the defensive end of the floor and we did not respond well to their pressure throughout the game. Our offensive execution was not smooth and we had too many turnovers and wasted possessions. Our point guards have to do a better job of getting us into our sets quicker and distributing the basketball in a timely manner. We will work on these areas after the Christmas break and try to do a better job of protecting the basketball. We wish Texan Nation a Merry Christmas!"
 
Faith Acker led the Texan scoring with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding six rebounds and two blocks. Teresa Da Silva tallied 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Tyler Jackson pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, just missing a double-double with nine points and two assists. Teresa Maggio led the bench with nine points (3-5), Elise Turrubiates had eight points (3-4 FG), three rebounds and three assists, and Vitoria Carvalho notched six points and six rebounds.
 
UNO scored the opening four points to start Monday's game, but Tarleton responded quickly with a 9-2 run, capped off by a Jackson three-ball. It was back-and-forth the remainder of the frame, and Da Silva gave the Texans a one-point lead with a layup towards the end, as Tarleton State led 15-14 headed to the second.
 
The second quarter was all UNO, who didn't allow the Texans to score until the 4:19 mark. The Privateers started with a 10-0 run to go up 24-15, then extended it to a 16-2 run to go up 13. The Texans shot 2-of-12 (.167) in the quarter to find themselves down at halftime 33-24.
 
Tarleton forced New Orleans to shoot just 6-of-21 (.286) in the third, and the Texans cut the deficit to seven midway through. UNO recharged towards the end, taking their largest lead of the game of 15, ending the third up 50-39.
 
The Texans didn't give up, and fought their way out of a 15-point hole to down just five points at the 5:29 mark. The Privateers responded with a quick 6-0 spurt, then held Tarleton at arm's length to win their second game of the season.
 
New Orleans was led by DeArica Pryor's 16 points (6-14 FG, 4-5 3PT), seven rebounds and two steals off the bench. Jayla Kimbrough (13 points, 6-9 FG, four rebounds) also scored in double figures, while Alexis Calderon tallied eight points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.
 
The Texans will have nearly two weeks off due to the holiday break. They'll continue a four-game slate away from home on Dec. 30 in Houston at Texas Southern at 2 p.m.