UNO led by one at the half and maintained that one-point lead at 45-44 before the Privateers ripped off a 14-3 run to get themselves some breathing room. The NAIA Bleu Devils stormed back to within three at 62-59 but could not complete the comeback.
Jordan Johnson led a balanced New Orleans attack with 18 points, and K'mani Doughty added 17. Johnson and Doughty drained three treys each. In the interior, Simeon Kirkland had 12 points and Tyson Jackson 11. Jackson added 10 rebounds to lead UNO.
The Privateers will turn around and head to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on the top-ranked team in the nation, the Purdue Boilermakers, on ESPNU on Wednesday night.
