SHSU Whips UNO

Bryson Robinson is
blanketed on a 3-pt attempt

In a game that was never really in doubt, Sam Houston State showed why they are the top team in the Southland Conference, blasting New Orleans 71-60 in Lakefront Arena.

The game featured the #1 and #2 teams in the league, but it appeared there was a fairly healthy gap between the two.  The Bearkats, who have already clinched the #1 seed, looked like they were the ones that had more to play for, jumping to an early lead and holding the rest of the way, expanding it to as much as 15 in the second half.

The Privateers were beaten soundly on the boards, losing that battle 39-27, including giving up 17 offensive rebounds.  In addition, they surrendered 12-for-26 shooting from deep.

Bryson Robinson led UNO with 15 points, and Gerrale Gates and Scott Plaisance added 12 each

New Orleans will hit the road for two critical games to end the regular season, first heading to Nicholls on Saturday.

UNO Beats Nationally Ranked USM

UNO catcher Beau Bratton

The Privateer baseball team stepped up in class on Tuesday evening and answered the call, defeating #23 Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, 2-1, for its sixth straight win.

New Orleans (6-1) got all the runs it needed in the top of the third.  Beau Bratton knocked one in with a single, and then Luther Woullard doubled in the second run.  The UNO pitching staff made it hold up, with eight pitchers combining to surrender just six hits and one run.

The Privateers return home to Maestri Field this weekend for a three-game series against Yale.

UNO Edges Butler on Sunday

Sunday:  New Orleans won a pitching duel on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic at Maestri Field, knocking off Butler 2-1 on a walkoff wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth.

Pitching carried the day for UNO (5-1), with starter Steven Swift and relievers Chris DeMayo, Mathew Oset, and Reeves Martin combining to surrender just one run.

Saturday: On Saturday in the second game of the Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic at Maestri Field, UNO used a 13-hit attack to cruise past Rutgers, 7-2.

Chris Turpin, as he did last Saturday, went 6 innings for the victory.  He surrendered two unearned runs but has yet to allow an earned run in 12 innings.  Meanwhile, Collin Morrill drilled his first homer of the season to lead the New Orleans offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI.  Gaige Howard, Antonio Gauthier, Darren Willis, Beau Bratton, and Luther Woullard had two hits apiece.

Woullard had seven hits
over the weekend for UNO

Friday: The Privateers began the weekend's Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic with a 16-8 comeback victory over Chicago State at Maestri Field

For the second Friday in a row, Mathew Oset pitched multiple shutdown innings in relief to give UNO a chance at a rally, but unlike last week against Michigan State, the home team capitalized with two big innings and won going away.

Pearce Howard continued his torrid start to 2019 with another three-hit, three RBI day, but newcomer junior Luther Woullard led the team with a 4-for-6 performance with three RBI of his own.

In the other game, Rutgers, UNO's Saturday opponent, beat Butler 3-2.

Defense Carries The Day in Win at McNeese

Jahmel Myers

Trailing 33-24 at the half, the Privateers (16-10, 11-4) absolutely snuffed out the McNeese attack down the stretch and won going away in Lake Charles, 60-51.

UNO surrendered just 18 second half points.  The Bucs trailed 47-39 at the 9:20 mark but outscored the homestanding Cowboys an incredible 21-4 the rest of the way.

Bryson Robinson had 13 points and 4 assists, and Jahmel Myers also had 13 off the bench.  Troy Green added 10.

New Orleans heads home for its final outing at Lakefront Arena on the 2018-19 schedule, taking on Southland leader Sam Houston State in a game that has been added to the ESPN3 schedule.

Privateers Bomb Southeastern

Bryson Robinson

With leading scorer Ezekiel Charles out for the season, the Privateers found other ways to score from long distance, draining 14 three-pointers in Wednesday night's 89-68 blowout over Southeastern Louisiana at Lakefront Arena.

Improbably, UNO (15-10, 10-4) shot 14-for-23 from deep in the lopsided victory, and 60% from the field overall.  Leading 44-31 at the half, they scored the first seven points of the second half to send the message that this game wasn't going to tighten up, and it quickly became a runaway.

Bryson Robinson led the way with 23 points and five threes, and Jorge Rosa added 18 on six threes.  Even Scott Plaisance drilled one and added 15 points overall.

UNO will head to McNeese on Saturday afternoon for its next game.

UNO Wins 2 of 3 From Michigan State

Jr RHP Chris Turpin pitched six
scoreless innings on Saturday

Sunday: UNO used five pitchers, starting with returnee Brayson Smith, to get through the Spartans on Sunday afternoon, winning the three-game series with a 6-4 decision at Maestri Field.

For the second straight day, the Privateers closed the game with relievers John Barr and Reeves Martin, with Barr getting credited with the win and Martin the save.

Pearce Howard again led the offensive effort with a three-hit day, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.

Saturday: Behind a stellar college debut from pitcher Chris Turpin, the Privateers evened their three-game season opening series against Michigan State with a 4-1 win.

Turpin threw six innings of shutout ball, surrendering just five hits and rare solid contact.  Returning relief ace John Barr struggled but got through two innings, and Reeves Martin pitched the ninth for the save.

Pearce Howard led the offensive attack for New Orleans with two hits, two walks, and an RBI.

Friday: It was a rough 2019 opener for the New Orleans Privateers baseball team, as they fell 8-4 to Michigan State at Maestri Field on Friday night.

In the first of a three-game set, the Spartans jumped on UNO freshman hurler Steven Swift for five early runs, three earned.  Then, junior Bailey Holstein surrendered two more and the Bucs were down 7-1 in the fourth.  One of the night's few bright spots was returning reliever Mathew Oset, who pitched four scoreless innings to keep UNO in the game, but the Privateers ultimately fell short.

Offensively, junior newcomer Salo Iza, playing second base, drilled the first homer of the season for New Orleans in the fifth.  Returning senior Collin Morrill led the team with two hits.

The Privateers and Spartans will play game two of the series tomorrow at Maestri Field at 1 p.m.

UNO Focuses, Fights Off TAMU-CC

Gerrale Gates beats the shot clock
buzzer with a three in the 2nd half

After a week to stew over a dumb home loss to Nicholls, the Privateers (14-10, 9-4) took out their frustration on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, winning a chippy 68-58 game at Lakefront Arena Saturday afternoon.

Playing without leading scorer Ezekiel Charles, New Orleans got just enough offense to go with a tenacious defensive effort on the perimeter to avenge their earlier loss to the Islanders this season.  After surrendering 12 three-pointers to Nicholls last week, TAMU-CC could muster just a 2-for-14 effort against UNO.

The game got testy, and too close for comfort, after a Damion Rosser flagrant foul and ejection led to the score tightening late, but UNO held on.

Troy Green picked up some of the slack for Charles on the perimeter, scoring 13 points. Gerrale Gates led the way with 14, including several key free throws late.  Jahmel Myers added 9 points and 8 rebounds.

The Privateers will stay home and take on red-hot Southeastern Louisiana this Wednesday night on the lakefront.

Nicholls Shoots Down UNO

Bryson Robinson
drives to the goal

On a strange homecoming afternoon, Nicholls overrode an otherwise stifling UNO defense with 12 three pointers en route to a 64-63 squeaker over the Privateers on Homecoming day.

After Nicholls took a 32-25 advantage to the locker room, the second half was a back-and-forth tussle.  Trailing 61-60 with under a minute left, New Orleans went back ahead on a Scott Plaisance followup. Then, the Colonels missed a jumper with 16 seconds left, and Damion Rosser rebounded and hit one of two free throws.  But Nicholls' Danny Garrick, who the Privateers bizarrely refused to guard all afternoon, hit his fourth three to win it.

Plaisance and Gerrale Gates each had 15 to lead the effort for the Bucs.

New Orleans gets a week off before taking Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Lakefront Arena next Saturday.

UNO Survives NWST For Season Sweep

Sr G Ezekiel Charles

After building another double-digit second half lead and then falling behind, New Orleans (13-9, 8-3) scored a key road win at Northwestern State, 81-73 in overtime, on Wednesday night.

Though they trailed much of the first half, the Privateers snuck ahead by the break and expanded their lead as high as 52-42.  But the Demons switched up their defense, forced some turnovers and rode a hot streak to the lead.  The teams proceeded to go back and forth until a buzzer beating jumper from Ishmael Lane sent the game to overtime.

Ezekiel Charles had a huge effort for UNO, notching 31 points, including several key buckets in overtime, to lead the team.  Charles also had 5 steals.  Scott Plaisance and Damion Rosser each added 14 points.

New Orleans withstood a phenomenal effort from the Demons' Lane, who almost had a triple double and finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 blocks.

UNO returns home to Lakefront Arena for a Saturday homecoming game against Nicholls, which will begin at 4:15ish after the women's game.

Privateers Finish Sweep of UIW

Freshman Gerrale Gates

They had to fight off a second half Incarnate Word rally, but it ended up being a comfortable 89-72 victory for New Orleans on Saturday afternoon at Lakefront Arena.

A 40-29 Privateer halftime advantage disappeared quickly, and UIW actually surged ahead briefly at 48-47 with a flurry of threes before a Scott Plaisance bucket put UNO (12-9, 7-3) up for good.  The Privateers took control from that point on.

Bryson Robinson was held down, but Gerrale Gates picked up the slack to lead New Orleans in scoring with 18.  Ezekiel Charles added 17 plus 9 rebounds.  Damion Rosser added 10 along with 8 assists, and Troy Green also had 10 points.

The Privateers next travel to Northwestern State on Wednesday for a rematch with the Demons, who they defeated 72-64 at Lakefront Arena this past week.