Box Score UNO-Loyola Box Score
NEW ORLEANS –
Lovell Cook and
Brandon Knight put forth career-high efforts as the University of New Orleans bounced Loyola 81-73 at Lakefront Arena on Wednesday night.
Knight established a new career-high with 16 points and narrowly missed a double-double with eight assists as UNO (15-11) split an in-season home-and-home series against a LU (14-9) squad that won the first meeting at The Den.
Cook matched his career-high with 22 points and shot 11 of 15 from the field as the Privateers hit their shots at a 53.1 percent clip in the contest.
“It was a huge night for UNO basketball to have a phenomenal home crowd in the friendly confines of Lakefront Arena,” said head coach
Mark Slessinger. “The support from our student groups was phenomenal.”
The duo of Knight and Cook made their impact felt early in the contest as the duo teamed up for UNO's first nine points of the contest. Knight was 4 of 4 from the field to start the game and had already reached 11 points before nine minutes passed in the contest.
The two teams exchanged leads three times over the first 20 minutes with Corey Gray's four first half three-pointers and a 20-12 advantage in the paint keeping LU around. Gray scored 14 of his 17 points before the intermission as the teams went into the break knotted at 40-all.
In the second half, leads were exchanged a total of seven times.
With the Wolfpack bound to go on a run and UNO struggling from the field, Cook connected on his first four shot attempts and accounted for the Privateers' first eight points of the half.
An
Antonio Holmes fast break dunk at the 14:43 mark provided UNO with its first points in the final 20 minutes from someone besides Cook with a series of lead changes occurring until the score was knotted at 69.
The game's ninth tie was broken when
Max Banchy drained a three-pointer at the 4:23 mark with
Antonio Wertz capitalizing on a three-point play on the Privateers' next possession to kick start an 8-0 run that concluded with a pair of
Darrell Williams free throws with 3:28 left in the contest.
Leading 75-69, the lead was firmly in one of the team's hands for the first time in the second half and it was UNO's. Wertz tallied 15 points and eight rebounds to join Cook and Knight in double-figures for the Privateers, who received points from all 11 players who hit the floor.
“I am really proud of our team effort,” said Slessinger. “Our guys were very unselfish down the stretch and we were able to manage the clock in the game's final four minutes and I was really proud of that.”
Robert Lovaglio was the top scorer for the Wolfpack with 18 points with Cameron Cates and Tomeny McCall adding 15 and 12 points, respectively.
UNO will head to Hawaii on Tuesday night for an 11 p.m. CT contest. The Privateers will return to the mainland on Feb. 18 to face Southern (N.O.) at The Castle.
