UNO Cruises to Win; Nicholls Looms

Thibodeaux again
led UNO with 21

The Privateers (12-10, 9-2) jumped ahead early and never looked back, cruising to a comfortable win at Lakefront Arena on Wednesday night over Northwestern State, 82-64.

Travin Thibodeaux led four Privateers in double digits with 21 points. Troy Green got back into a groove with 12 points, Makur Puou had 11, and Ezekiel Charles added 10.

UNO has had a soft schedule of late, sweeping two winless Southland teams in the Demons and Incarnate Word in its last four games en route to reclaiming first place. But it's about to get much tougher, as New Orleans hosts 7-2 Nicholls in a showdown on Saturday afternoon on the lakefront.

UNO Surges Late to Win at UIW

Makur Puou led UNO
with 18 points

Trailing 45-44 more than midway through the second half, the Privateers (11-10, 8-2) took control late and completed a sweep of the week's two road games with a 68-58 win at Incarnate Word.

Makur Puou was a huge presence, especially in the second half, leading the way for New Orleans with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting.  16 of those points came after halftime. Travin Thibodeaux, steady as always, added 14 for the victors.

UNO led 29-27 at the break, though they gave up the last six points of the frame and fell behind early in the second. The Bucs shot poorly from the free throw line and from outside, but they tightened up the defense, forcing 20 turnovers on the afternoon, and leaned heavily on Puou down the stretch to pull them through.

New Orleans is back home for two games this coming week, the first on Wednesday night at Lakefront Arena for a rematch with Northwestern State.

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Privateers Shoot Past Demons

Robinson led UNO with 17

New Orleans is not known for its strong outside shooting, but that perception could start to change with more nights like Wednesday, when its blistering 9-of-17 pace from downtown helped to down the Northwestern State Demons in Prather Coliseum, 73-67.

The Privateers (10-10, 7-2) trailed early but edged ahead 35-31 at the break.  The game remained close for a little while in the second half before a flurry put the Bucs up by double digits.  The Demons, still winless in the Southland, were not quite able to rally because New Orleans always seemed to have an answer at the right time.

Bryson Robinson, 3-for-4 from deep, led the way with 17 points. Ezekiel Charles, 4-for-6 from three, continued his outstanding play of late with 15.  Travin Thibodeaux added 11.

New Orleans will play on the road again on Saturday, meeting back up with Incarnate Word, who it just defeated by four points this past Saturday at Lakefront Arena.

Privateers Bounce Back, Hold Off UIW

Thibodeaux scores
in the second half

In front of the largest crowd of the season, the Privateers (9-10, 6-2) fought off Incarnate Word, winless in conference play, for a tight 74-70 victory at Lakefront Arena.

New Orleans trailed by as many as 10 in the first half before heading to the locker room down 38-34. They continued to chip away, finally going ahead 50-48 on a Thibodeaux dunk.  A Bryson Robinson three-point play extended the lead late to 67-61, and UNO held on for the victory.

Thibodeaux, not surprisingly, led the Bucs once again in scoring with 21, also adding 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Ezekiel Charles was an important factor with Diontae Champion still injured, starting and adding 15 points, including three triples. Lamont Berzat chipped in 12, including three three-pointers of his own.

UNO will finally hit the road again next week for two games, the first at Northwestern State on Wednesday.

UCA Humiliates UNO on the Lakefront

Thibodeaux was solid on
a brutal night at UNO

If the Privateers (8-10, 5-2) are a contender in the Southland Conference, there was no evidence of it on a chilly Wednesday night at Lakefront Arena, where Central Arkansas dominated New Orleans 81-57.

The Bears jumped out to a 22-6 lead and were never even slightly threatened at any point.

UNO was unable to take advantage of a typically porous Bears defense, shooting a frosty 34% from the field despite numerous opportunities from up close. Jordan Howard, the only UCA player averaging double digits, notched 24 points but was joined by teammates Mathieu Kamba with 23 and Thatch Unruh with 12.  Despite shooting just 4-for-18 from deep, UCA shot 50% overall because of the Privateers' own porous defense in the paint.

Travin Thibodeaux turned in his usual effort, scoring 16 points, but he got little help from his teammates.

New Orleans will finish its three-game home stand on Saturday evening against Incarnate Word.

UNO Survives Upset Bid

Thibodeaux laughs at
your upset attempt

It was a struggle the Privateers didn't expect, but they barely escaped a challenge from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Lakefront Arena Saturday afternoon, winning 61-55.

New Orleans (8-9, 5-1) was again led by Travin Thibodeaux with 20 points. Freshman Lamont Berzat came up with a huge performance, draining 3-for-3 from deep and scoring 15 points. Mike Zeno added 11, including a huge dunk with 31 seconds left to put UNO up by three. Thibodeaux's two free throws clinched the game moments later.

They don't make it sound like this is true, but UNO's next home game is against Central Arkansas on Wednesday night, before its contest against Incarnate Word on January 20.

Discussion forum game thread

Privateers Come Up Short at SFA

Thibodeaux's superior effort
kept UNO close at SFA

On the road facing Stephen F. Austin, the consensus Southland Conference preseason favorites, the defending league champion Privateers (7-9, 4-1) fell behind big early, fought their way almost all the way back, then fell just short to the host Lumberjacks, 78-68.

Travin Thibodeaux's superior effort kept New Orleans within striking distance. Thibodeaux had 24 points, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, to go along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Diontae Champion joined him in double figures with 11 points, and Mike Zeno added 10.

UNO fell behind 19-4 at the outset, but clawed their way back to within five before heading into the break down 33-25. The Privateers got as close as two points late in the second half, but couldn't quite come up with a finishing push.

There is still an unbeaten in the league, however, as Southeastern Louisiana surpassed UNO in the standings with another winning effort at Lamar, continuing their surprise start.

New Orleans will return home to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon.

Discussion forum game thread

UNO Now 4-0 after OT Win

Guard Bryson Robinson

On the strength of a career game from sophomore guard Bryson Robinson, the Privateers (7-8, 4-0) continued their surprising start to the 2017-18 conference slate with an 82-75 overtime win at McNeese State.

Robinson notched 31 points on the day, including 9 in the extra session, shooting 7-for-8 from three point range in addition to 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Travin Thibodeaux added 14 points and led New Orleans with 9 rebounds and 5 assists.  Michael Zeno added 12 points.

UNO trailed 36-28 at the break but quickly rallied in the second half, closing the gap and surging ahead to a seven-point lead.  But McNeese rallied to tie the game late and send it to overtime.  After the Cowboys opened an early three-point OT lead, Robinson hit a three to tie it.  McNeese went back up 75-73, but Robinson hit a jumper to tie it again.  Robinson then drained four free throws in a row, and UNO had a lead it would maintain for good.

The Privateers will put their unbeaten mark to the ultimate Southland test this coming Wednesday.  They'll take on league heavyweight Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches.

Discussion forum game thread

UNO Beats Lamar, Alone in First

Diontae Champion slams home
a dunk early in the second half

The Privateers (6-8, 3-0) continued their hot start to the Southland Conference season by knocking off Lamar 72-62 at Lakefront Arena on Wednesday night.

New Orleans, now alone in first place in the young season at 3-0 (Southeastern Louisiana is also unbeaten but has only played twice), led 29-16 at the break after an ugly first half. Lamar, which featured former UNO coach Tic Price as well as former Privateer players Colton Weisbrod and James Harrison, shot as frigid as the temperature outside, hitting on just 27% of their attempts in the first stanza.

After UNO extended its lead to 18 early in the second, Lamar rallied with a flurry of threes and got within four at multiple points down the stretch. But the Bucs, shooting a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line, held off the Cardinals late to secure another victory.

Makur Puou led New Orleans with another strong effort with 14 points.  Diontae Champion added 13, and Travin Thibodeaux and Bryson Robinson added 12 each.  Robinson also had 8 assists. Thibodeaux had 3 steals, two of which came late on critical Lamar possessions.

UNO will head to Lake Charles next on Saturday to take on surprising McNeese State.

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