UNO Falls in the CIT

Bryson Robinson

For the second straight game, the Privateer defense was subpar, and it resulted in UNO's elimination from the CIT in the first round at Lakefront Arena at the hands of Texas Southern in overtime, 95-89.

New Orleans (19-14) was hampered as well by poor shooting, as TSU left Privateers open from beyond the arc all night, but UNO was unable to convert on very many, shooting an abysmal 7-for-33 from three-point territory.  On the other end, TSU kept up what Abilene Christian started last Saturday, piling up another 48 points in the paint on the evening.

The Privateers trailed most of the evening but did edge ahead at a few points late in the second half, going ahead 81-80 on an Amari Haynes layup.  But TSU tied it with a free throw, and Troy Green missed a baseline fallaway that would've won it at the buzzer.

Bryson Robinson led UNO with 20 points, and Jahmel Myers added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Privateers Fall Short of NCAA Bid

The Privateers' tremendous run at the Southland tournament in Katy ended with a 77-60 defeat in the championship game to Abilene Christian.

New Orleans appeared tired and its defense looked a step slow, showing none of its trademark quickness and unable to stop ACU's penetration.  The Wildcats, who achieved their first Division I NCAA Tournament birth in school history, scored 48 of their 77 points in the paint.  ACU made 56% of its shots overall.

Bryson Robinson tried to keep UNO in the game with his long distance shooting, leading the way with 14 points, 4-for-8 beyond the arc.  Scott Plaisance added 13.  But the Privateers couldn't get any offensive rhythm going, committing 20 turnovers.

UNO will host a CIT Tournament game this week, with time and opponent to be determined.

UNO Goes Wire to Wire, beats SH

The Privateers never trailed in any of the 40 minutes of an extremely tight 79-76 upset win over the top seed in the Southland tournament, Sam Houston State.

Jorge Rosa led New Orleans with 18 points, hitting 7-for-7 field goals (including 4-for-4 from three), with only a missed free throw ruining his perfect night.  Troy Green added 14 for the victors.

UNO never really had a large lead at any point; they took a small early lead, led 35-34 at the half, and generally maintained a marginal lead throughout the second stanza.  The Bearkats simply couldn't quite overcome them.

The Privateers have one more hurdle standing between them and the second NCAA Tournament berth of Coach Mark Slessinger's tenure.  Tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2, they will face either Abilene Christian or Southeastern Louisiana.

UNO Eliminates Red-Hot Lamar

Bryson Robinson

Playing its first game in the Southland tournament in Katy, Texas, New Orleans rallied late to end Lamar's nine-game winning streak, prevailing 76-72.

The Privateers shot uncharacteristically well from downtown (8-for-15) to offset a tremendous performance by Lamar's Nick Garth, who had 28 points, draining shots from all angles throughout the night.  Bryson Robinson, who led the Privateers with 17 points, drilled a long three with the shot clock winding down to put UNO ahead 74-72 with 22 seconds left.  The Bucs subsequently held on defense and won going away.

UNO led in the first half by as many as 14, but Lamar finished on a 12-0 run to close to within 2 at the break.  The second half was a back-and-forth affair that was finally decided by Robinson's shot.

Senior Scott Plaisance added 16 for New Orleans, and Jorge Rosa had 13.

The Privateers advance to face Sam Houston State at the same time tomorrow (5 p.m.) in Katy.

Privateers Rip Ragin' Cajuns

SS Darren Willis

Coming off a disappointing first conference weekend, New Orleans (10-5) jumped all over Louisiana-Lafayette early, scoring four in the first and opening a 9-1 lead after three innings on the way to a 10-3 victory at Tigue Moore Field.

Darren Willis led the UNO hit parade with a 3-for-4 night, and a host of other Privateers added two hits each.  Starter Bailey Holstein plus four relievers held the Cajuns down, easily making the 10-run, 12-hit attack hold up.

Nicholls Wins Sunday, Takes 2 of 3

Sunday:  On the strength of two three-run innings, Nicholls took a big lead and coasted to victory on Sunday against UNO, 9-1.  The Privateers scored just six runs in the three-game series.

Saturday:  After again rallying from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score at 2 in the seventh inning, UNO fell behind again when Nicholls' Brady Bell hit a sacrifice fly off UNO reliever John Barr in the bottom of the eighth to provide Nicholls' winning 3-2 margin.

Friday:  In the Southland Conference opener, New Orleans (9-3, 1-0) was no-hit for 8 1/3 innings before mounting a three-run rally in Thibodaux to top Nicholls, 3-2.

The Colonels' Trever Kilcrease was two outs away from a no-hitter when the Privateers' Colin Morrill hit an RBI single to score Salo Iza (who had walked).  Then, after a Pearce Howard ground rule double, an intentional walk, and a groundout, Tresten Kennard's clutch two-out single plated two runs and put the Privateers ahead.  Reeves Martin closed out the ninth in relief, striking out the side to nail down the win.

Privateers Whip Nicholls

Plaisance led the way with
19 points vs. Nicholls

Avenging an earlier loss to Nicholls, the Privateers (17-11, 12-5) went to Thibodaux, weathered a rally, and bested the Colonels 80-70.

UNO, which led 35-28 at the half and extended it to double digits early after the break, fell behind with just minutes to play before ripping off a decisive 11-0 run down the stretch to put Nicholls away.  The win keeps New Orleans in third place in the Southland Conference race, enabling them to keep pace with everyone they are competing with for tournament byes, as Abilene Christian, Southeastern Louisiana, and Lamar also won.

Scott Plaisance led the Privateer attack with 19 points, while Troy Green's 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists contributed mightily to the victory.  Jorge Rosa had 14, including four threes, and Bryson Robinson added 13.

New Orleans heads to Hammond for the final regular season game on Wednesday against Southeastern Louisiana in a game with huge tournament bye implications.