THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to claim its third consecutive win on the road as the Colonels head to New Orleans to take on the Privateers on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Lakefront Arena.
 
Nicholls (6-11, 4-3 SLC) had its three-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday at home in a six-point loss to second-place Central Arkansas. In order for the Colonels to keep pace with Abilene Christian and UCA, they'll need to continue to find ways to win on the road.
 
The Colonels' recent road trip saw the squad grind out wins at Sam Houston and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by a combined six points. Nicholls even needed an extra five minutes to defeat the Islanders. The constant in both victories was veteran leadership.
 
Paired with 18 points from freshman Cassidy Barrios, senior guard LiAnn McCarthy led Nicholls at Sam Houston with 25 points and had several key buckets down the stretch. At Corpus Christi, it was junior guard Hope Pawlowski scoring 23 points off the bench.
 
Although the upperclassmen stepped up in the most recent away games, it's Barrios who leads the team in scoring on the road. In six away games, Barrios is averaging 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one block. She has also missed just four of 26 attempts at the free throw line.
 
A native of New Orleans, McCarthy has continued to impress on her comeback tour as she is averaging 18.4 points in conference play. After missing two-plus seasons due to injuries, McCarthy has regained her shooting touch as she's hitting nearly 50 percent from the field over the last seven contests. She's made 14 3-pointers during the stretch at a 41.2 percent clip.
 
Another New Orleans resident, Colonel head coach DoBee Plaisance, is looking to achieve history in front of her hometown. With a win, Plaisance would tie the program's record for all-time wins, held by Ben Abadie with 89. Plaisance holds every other coaching record at Nicholls – single-season victories (19), conference wins in a season (13), postseason appearances (4), winning seasons (3) and longest winning streak (7).
 
Despite a 2-5 mark in conference, the Colonels will face a stiff test against New Orleans, which has dropped its last three. The Privateers, 5-11 overall, last won on Jan. 14 when Randi Brown sank a buzzer beater for a 58-57 win against Stephen F. Austin at Lakefront Arena.
 
Brown, the reigning Southland Freshman of the Year, leads the Privateers in scoring at 15.8 points per game and 13.6 in league play. Brown lifted UNO to a split against the Colonels last season as she poured in 27 points in a 68-63 win in the last meeting.
 
UNO is averaging just 53 points since the start of conference and is shooting .366 from the field. The Privateers have struggled from long range so far, making 19 percent of their 3-pointers. UNO has been a strong rebounding team with a plus-2.6 margin in its seven conference games.
 
Following Wednesday night's game, Nicholls will head to San Antonio for a matchup against Incarnate Word on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.