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| Gill had three triples in Friday night's semifinal |
The Privateers (19-11) finally beat Sam Houston State, and it came at a great time: in the conference tournament in Katy, Texas.
The 75-63 victory sends New Orleans into the championship game of the tournament, which will determine the Southland's participant in the NCAA Tournament. It will be played Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Friday's victory was the first time UNO has beaten Sam Houston since it joined the conference in 2013.
Erik Thomas, the conference Player of the Year, struggled from the field, shooting 4-for-11, but also hit all 10 of his free throw attempts for an 18-point night. Christavious Gill added 15, including three three-pointers.
New Orleans will meet Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in tomorrow's championship game. The Islanders defeated Stephen F. Austin 77-69 in the other semifinal matchup.
