Box Score UNO-Dillard Box Score
NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans put together a defensive display at Dent Hall in a 56-43 victory over Dillard on Thursday night at Dent Hall.
The UNO (5-4) defense was relentless throughout the game, forcing 25 DU (0-10) turnovers.
The miscues by the host squad represented the sixth time in nine games this season in which a Privateer opponent committed at least 23 turnovers for the contest.
“I was proud of our defensive pressure,” said UNO head coach
Mark Slessinger. “We stayed solid throughout the night with our game plan defensively and got great contributions from everybody who touched the floor tonight.”
Antonio Wertz posted the second double-double of his career with 28 points and 12 rebounds. The 28 points surpassed the previous career-high of 26 points for the Privateer forward last week in a game against Tulane.
Lovell Cook added another eight points and six rebounds for a UNO team that held the Bleu Devils to a 29.4 field goal percentage for the contest.
The leading scorers for DU were Jamal Silas and Terry Church with 12 points apiece.
UNO jumped into the driver's seat early in the game when a Wertz three-pointer at the 18:05 mark put the Privateers ahead 7-5. The three-point basket contributed to a 13-point outburst for the Alma, Ga. native in the opening half.
DU's struggles offensively allowed UNO to remain ahead.
The Bleu Devils committed 18 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the game with UNO converting the miscues into 14 points before halftime. Adding to the DU woes was a stretch of seven minutes without a field goal which allowed the Privateers to expand their advantage to 12 points, their largest lead of the first half.
UNO would maintain a double-figure advantage and entered the half with a 29-18 lead with DU shooting just 28 percent from the field.
The second half presented a more balanced effort with the Privateers outscoring the Bleu Devils 27-25.
DU improved their shooting to 32 percent over the last 20 minutes while only committing seven turnovers. Despite the improve effort offensively by the Bleu Devils, UNO only allowed their advantage to creep into single-digits twice.
“It was another great night of New Orleans college basketball for the city,” said Slessinger. “To play against such a well-coached team and be able to come out victorious is a great measure of our team's progress.”
“It was great to have so much blue and silver in the gymnasium tonight. It made a great difference in our ability to sustain our effort through a couple of good runs that Dillard put forth.”
The Privateers will enjoy a break for final examination before hosting a pair of games at Lakefront Arena. Johnson & Wales will visit on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. with Saint Leo's to follow on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.
