UNO Takes Series From Kansas

Seroski saved both UNO
victories over the weekend

New Orleans baseball ran its early season record to 5-1 by winning two of three over the Kansas Jayhawks at Maestri Field.

Exacting revenge for UNO's 1991 NCAA basketball tournament loss to the Jayhawks, the Privateers opened the series with a narrow 4-3 victory on Friday night, bolstered by a Pearce Howard home run.  Tyler LeBlanc got the win in relief, and Caleb Seroski got the save.

On Saturday, New Orleans fell behind in the fourth inning and never rallied, losing in convincing fashion 8-2.

On Sunday, the Privateers got back on track, opening a 5-0 lead on KU and hanging on for the 5-2 victory.  Collin Horton got his second consecutive Sunday start and pitched four hitless, scoreless innings.  Jack Williams pitched three innings in relief for the win, and Seroski again got the save.

UNO travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Wednesday night.

UNO Drops Second in a Row

New Orleans (16-11, 9-3) finished a tough week on the road on Saturday afternoon, falling at Northwestern State 87-77.

UNO slipped out of first place as another shaky defensive effort doomed them in Natchitoches.  Much like Thursday night, a subpar first half filled with turnovers put the Privateers behind the eight ball, and they never could quite recover, hanging around but never quite overtaking the host Demons.

Derek St. Hilaire did shake out of his doldrums with a fine second half effort and a total of 25 points.  He also led the team's rebounding effort with 7.  Troy Green added 18 points.

UNO returns home for a Wednesday game against Houston Baptist.  If they win, they will play for the conference regular season title next Saturday at Nicholls.

Privateers Falter Late, Lose at SLU

Guard Daniel Sackey

A late push by the host Southeastern Louisiana Lions was enough to best New Orleans on Thursday, 84-79.

With UNO up 70-69 late, they failed to extend the lead on consecutive trips, then surrendered a game-deciding 9-0 run to seal their fate.  While the Privateers got solid contributions from several role players, their big guns Troy Green and Derek St. Hilaire were largely frustrated and stymied, shooting a combined 11-for-28 and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.

St. Hilaire did lead UNO scorers with 15, and Green, Simeon Kirkland, and Daniel Sackey all added 14.  Sackey hit 4-for-5 from deep.

UNO will have to conquer the road to win the league, and they'll get another shot on Saturday at Northwestern State.

UNO Dominates Dawson Classic

(Courtesy: UNO Athletics)

The Privateer baseball team got its 2022 season off to a thunderous start, going 3-0 and outscoring its opponents 31-5 at the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans.

With all of its games being played at Maestri Field, New Orleans defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9-3, Grambling 12-2, and Alabama State 10-0.  The latter two games were ended early on the run rule.

UNO got heavy contributions from newcomers over the weekend.  Starting pitchers Dylan Porter and Collin Horton combined for 9 1/3 scoreless innings over Saturday's and Sunday's games.  New second baseman Amani Larry and new first baseman (and preseason all-SLC selection) Anthony Herron, Jr. each homered for the Bucs.

The Privateers will get the week off before welcoming the Kansas Jayhawks to Maestri Field for a three-game series next Friday through Sunday.

UNO beats McNeese, Goes to 9-1 in SLC

St. Hilaire led the way with 27

The New Orleans Privateers remained in first place in the Southland Conference, easily beating McNeese 88-75 at Lakefront Arena on Saturday.

The visiting Cowboys never led, as UNO (16-9, 9-1) jumped all over them from the outset.  The Privateers led by 17 at halftime and were never seriously threatened, though McNeese did briefly cut the lead to single digits down the stretch.

Conference player of the year candidate Derek St. Hilaire had another fine outing on Senior Day, leading the team with 27 points.  Tyson Jackson continued his nice run of late, contributing 14 points and a team-leading 6 rebounds.  Troy Green added 11 points.

New Orleans now heads into the final phase of the Southland regular season with three of its last four on the road, starting next Thursday at Southeastern Louisiana.

Privateers Clobber UIW in Rematch

After dropping a close one to Southland bottom dweller Incarnate Word a week ago, the Privateers (15-9, 8-1) exacted revenge on the lakefront with an 84-57 victory over the Cardinals.

New Orleans broke open what was a close game for the first few minutes, using a 19-2 run to extend their lead to 35-16.  UNO led by as many as 26 in the second half and was never threatened.

Troy Green led a balanced Privateer attack with 18 points.  Tyson Jackson added 16, and Simeon Kirkland has 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

UNO, remaining in first place with the victory, gets a week off before taking on McNeese next Saturday on the lakefront.

Privateers Sweep TAMU-CC

Troy Green led UNO
with 29 points

Back home after a bad loss at Incarnate Word, the Privateers gutted out a 78-69 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for its second win over the Islanders in the past week.

TAMU-CC, geared up for revenge after a home court loss to New Orleans last week, came out firing early, taking a 28-19 lead in a spirited effort.  But a barrage of three pointers got the Privateers (14-9, 7-1) back into it.  The Islanders took a slim 37-34 lead into the break, and maintained that lead well into the second half.  But the Bucs, down 53-47, ripped off a 12-0 run to turn the game around and maintained the lead until the end.

A superlative effort from UNO's Troy Green and Derek St. Hilaire carried the day.  St. Hilaire had 22 points before fouling out with just under three minutes left to play, but Green carried New Orleans down the stretch, finishing with a game-high 29.  The Privateers uncharacteristically made eight three pointers, which helped them make up for a 44-32 rebound deficit.

On Saturday afternoon, UNO will have a rematch with Incarnate Word on the lakefront.

Privateers Fall at UIW

Perhaps overconfident after a 6-0 conference start, the Privateers fell at previously winless Incarnate Word, 78-70.

New Orleans (13-9, 6-1) sleepwalked through the first half, trailing 38-27 and neglecting to defend the Cardinals' R.J. Glasper, who had 24 points and six threes before the break.  UNO fell behind by 16 in the second half, but a furious rally brought them to within one with just under a minute left.  But with UIW clinging to a 69-68 lead, Glasper hit a leaning jumper for a critical three-point play to salt away the win.  He finished with 34 points.

UNO was led by Derek St. Hilaire with 22, and Troy Green added 19.  Kmani Doughty had 11 including three treys.

New Orleans returns home for a repeat of this week's games, TAMU-CC on Thursday and UIW on Saturday.

9 In a Row: UNO Wins at TAMU-CC

Taking the floor as a slight underdog on an eight-game winning streak, the Privateers won a physical battle at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 79-70.

In a game that saw a combined 85 free throws, New Orleans (13-8, 6-0) grabbed control early, held a 9-point lead at the break, extended that lead into double digits in the second half, and withstood a late Islanders charge to win their third game of this four-game road trip.

Derek St. Hilaire once again led the UNO attack with 25 points.  Troy Green added 13, and Tyson Jackson chipped in 11.  Simeon Kirkland led all Privateers with 11 rebounds.  UNO held TAMU-CC to an icy 33% from the field, and the Islanders helped by missing 17 free throws.

New Orleans completes the road trip with a visit to Incarnate Word on Saturday afternoon on ESPN+.