Box Score DENVER ? University of New Orleans coach Joe Pasternack, like many coaches in the basketball fraternity, loves to watch the “Princeton style” offense.
The complexities, the cuts, the screens, the movement...everything about it fascinates him. So as his team completed a 60-54 win at Denver on Sunday, a crucial victory for seeding in the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament, the stoic 30-year old had a bit of a smile.
His Privateers improved to 3-0 against the methodical offense this year thanks to 22 points from Bo McCalebb and a strong defensive surge in the second half.
UNO (18-10, 8-8 Sun Belt Conference) held Denver to 33 percent shooting in the second half, after the Pioneers shot 59 percent in the first frame, to sweep Denver (11-16, 7-9 Sun Belt) in the season series.
The Privateers moved a game ahead of Denver in the race for seeding in the SBC Tournament and moved within a game of the lead in the Sun Belt West Division. Seeds four through eight will host a first-round game, while seeds nine through 13 hit the road. The East and West Division champions receive a first-round bye, along with the team with the next best record.
UNO also tied a school record with their ninth road victory of the year. The Privateers are 9-3 on the road compared to 7-6 at home.
“It just goes to the character of these kids,” Pasternack said. “From the moment we lost to (Louisiana-Lafayette) on Wednesday, these guys were focused and showed a lot of patience. It takes a lot of patience to be successful against this type of team. That's why Denver is so hard to play after a loss.”
The Privateers got the win despite committing an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers. But UNO overcame it with defense, strong shooting (51 percent from the field) and a 15-for-16 effort from the free-throw line.
“This team is not going to quit,” McCalebb said after moving into 30th place on the NCAA all-time scoring list. “We love playing on the road. It's hard to explain. We feed off the crowd. It's us against everybody, and we like that.”
After trailing 30-29 at halftime, the Privateers went on a 15-5 run to start the second half and led 44-35 with 13:51 to play. Denver cut the margin to one on two different occasions but could never regain the lead.
The Privateers iced it at the charity stripe, going 8-for-8 from the line in the final four minutes.
UNO out-rebounded Denver 24-20, improving to 11-0 when out-boarding an opponent.
“I just have so much respect for what (Denver head coach) Joe Scott does here,” Pasternack said. “He is the best at this offense. His players cut hard, and they are improving every day. It's not fun to prepare for, that's for sure. But I think it's a lot of fun to watch.”
