Memphis Overpowers UNO

Guard Troy Green

In the final nonconference game of the regular season, host Memphis took a huge lead early and coasted to a 97-55 win over New Orleans (4-8) on Saturday afternoon.

With its fans distracted by the Memphis football team's game in the Cotton Bowl, occurring simultaneously, the basketball team made quick work of the Privateers, opening a 17-3 lead and never trailing.

Troy Green led outmanned UNO's offensive attack with 22 points, and Bryson Robinson added 15.  New Orleans shot 3-for-17 from beyond the arc and committed a whopping 28 turnovers, though they forced 27 Tiger turnovers as well.

The Privateers will return to Lakefront Arena for two conference games next week, starting with Lamar on Thursday night.

Privateers Fall to 0-2 in SLC

UNO guard Troy Green

For the second game in a row, the Privateers (4-7, 0-2) fell behind double digits in the second half, then couldn't quite complete the rally, falling 87-79 at Sam Houston in Southland Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

The lead changed hands a few times in the first half as both UNO and SHSU had scoring spurts, but the Bearkats led 49-41 at the half and continued to score mostly at will until the last few minutes, opening the lead to as large as 23.  A late Privateer rally pulled the game as tight as six points, but no closer.  Sam Houston shot 52% for the game, including 11-for-24 from three-point range.

The New Orleans backcourt of Bryson Robinson and Troy Green kept UNO competitive, with Robinson posting 24 points and Green 20.  Green added 6 rebounds and 3 assists, tying for the team lead in those categories.

The Privateers will take a week off and then head to Memphis for a nonconference matchup against Penny Hardaway's Tigers on ESPN2 next Saturday.

UNO Rally Falls Short in Opener

Gerrale Gates
goes up in traffic

The preseason Southland favorite Privateers (4-6, 0-1) got a cold dose of reality in Wednesday night's conference opener at Lakefront Arena, falling to last year's champ, Abilene Christian, by a 77-71 score.

At times the contest resembled the beating UNO took in last year's title game, with the Wildcats opening a 60-46 lead after a dominant stretch of the second half.  But New Orleans rallied with 10 in a row to get back in it and fought closely down the stretch, ultimately being done in by its sloppiness, failure to get key stops, and inability to finish around the rim.

Troy Green led the Bucs with 19 points, and Jaylen Key added 16 before fouling out with just over four minutes left.  Ahren Freeman had 14 on 6-for-6 shooting to give a much-needed spark over the last 10 minutes.

The game was a turnover fest, with each team committing a whopping 22.

The Privateers next travel to Sam Houston State on Saturday.

UNO Blasts Williams Baptist Again

The annual UNO rout of Williams Baptist on Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is in the books, with a final score of 103-59 at Lakefront Arena.

This odd recent Privateer tradition continued on Saturday evening after a slow start in which the home team trailed 13-9 before ripping off an 8-0 run to take the lead for good.  The halftime margin was 50-30, and Ahren Freeman's basket late in the game put New Orleans over the century mark for the third time this season.

Bryson Robinson led the way in scoring with 22 points.  Gerrale Gates added 19 to go along with 7 rebounds.  Freeman had 17, and Troy Green 15.  Lamont Berzat, starting in place of the injured Damion Rosser, did not score but dished 7 assists to lead the club.

Though one more non-conference game at Memphis looms on December 28, the conference season will start this coming week with a rematch of the Southland Conference title game taking place at Lakefront Arena on Wednesday night against Abilene Christian.

Strong Start, Miserable Finish at LSU

G Bryson Robinson

The Privateers, who led for much of the first half, fell apart in the second and were blown out in Baton Rouge by LSU, 90-54.

New Orleans, which led 26-20 deep into the first half, surrendered an 18-4 run and trailed 38-30 at the break.  After a decent start out of the locker room, the Privateers completely collapsed over the last 10 minutes.

Bryson Robinson and Jaylen Key were among the few bright spots, as Robinson led UNO in scoring with 18, and Key had another solid effort building on this past weekend.  He scored 13 to go with 7 rebounds.

The Privateers will break for finals and return to the court at Lakefront Arena on December 14 for their annual slaughter of Williams Baptist.