The Privateers (3-7, 1-1) jumped out the gate to a 9-0 lead playing much more aggressive defense than they had of late. New Orleans maintained a steady lead throughout the half and led 38-26 at the break.
They extended that lead to 54-39 before UIW began its comeback. Shooting 12-for-27 on threes and led by the talented Davion Bailey, UIW rallied furiously as UNO struggled to get stops. They flashed ahead briefly at 78-76 before Coleton Benson, who had been held scoreless to that point, drilled a three while getting fouled, completing the four-point play and giving UNO back the lead.
At 84-83, Bailey, who had a game-high 28 points, drove the lane and flipped up a shot that bounced off the rim and was tipped away as the buzzer sounded.
UNO was led by high-flying T.J. Cope with 19 points. Jay Buckley contributed 18 points, including several critical scores down the stretch, and 7 assists. M.J. Thomas did a little of everything, posting 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Panagiotis Pagonis added 14 on 5-of-6 shooting.
New Orleans will step back out of conference for the last time this coming Saturday when they take on the national runner-up Houston Cougars before a lengthy holiday break.
A Kedrick Osby three tied the game at 10-10, but Memphis led the rest of the night, opening up a 25-point second half lead before UNO fought back late to make the score more competitive. T.J. Cope came off the bench to lead the Bucs with 21 points, and Jay Buckley added 14. Standout shooter Coleton Benson was limited to three points on 1-for-9 shooting.
The Privateers look forward to opening their conference schedule on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. at Lakefront Arena against Houston Christian.