NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers wrap up a four-game conference home stand when the men's and women's teams take on Sam Houston State on Saturday at Lakefront Arena.
The Privateers men's team (5-8, 2-3 Southland) is coming off a 77-55 win over Lamar on Thursday. New Orleans broke open a close game by shooting 65.4 percent in the second half after only leading by four points at halftime.
Kevin Hill scored a career-high 17 points, and notched his first double-double of the season in the win.
James Harrison contributed to the Privateers second half three-point barrage. Harrison hit three triples, and posted a career-high 11 points on Thursday. His previous high point total was five on two occasions. The Privateers as a team went 5-of-10 from downtown in the second half on Thursday night.
Cory Dixon continues to pace the conference in rebounds with 8.9 per game. Dixon played only 19 minutes on Thursday due to early foul trouble, but still put up 12 points and nine boards. It was only the second time Dixon has played under 20 minutes this season.
Sam Houston State (12-5, 4-1) is coming in off of three straight conference victories. Their latest was an 85-78 triumph over Southeastern on Thursday night.
The Bearkats are tops in the Southland in three-point percentage entering Saturday's contest. They are the only team shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Bearkats are converting triples at a 40.2 percent clip this season. They are also second in overall field goal percentage (46.7).
Sam Houston State has three players who average double figures on the year. Jabari Peters leads the team with 13.8 points per game. Kaheem Ransom adds 11.8 and Paul Baxter averages 10.2 points per contest.
The Privateers women's team (0-16, 0-5) hits the floor first to start the doubleheader against the Bearkats women's team (7-9, 2-3).
New Orleans put out a solid shooting display in Thursday's 80-53 loss to Lamar. The Privateers hit 44.7 percent of their shots, but were doomed by 24 turnovers. The Privateers shot 44.7 percent from the field, marking the second time they shot over 40 percent in a game this season.
Octavia Wilson now leads the team in double-digit scoring efforts after posting her seventh overall and third straight against Lamar. Wilson posted 11 points, and still holds the second-best free throw percentage in the Southland.
Yasmin Taylor returned to action after missing the last eight games due to a knee injury. Taylor fell just shy of a double-double, posting eight points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes of play against Lamar.
Raven Coleman posted her second straight game of double digit rebounds after hauling in 10 on Thursday.
The Bearkats have won back-to-back games after enduring an 0-3 start to conference. Both games were won by a single point, and both games were decided at the buzzer. They beat Nicholls State 51-50 on a Jasmine Johnson three-pointer as time expired. The Bearkats followed with an 86-85 overtime win over Southeastern. Angela Beadle hit the game-winning free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining.
Beadle's game-winner was part of her career-high 34 points. She currently leads the team with 15.3 points per game, and is seventh in the conference in field goal percentage (50.3). Johnson averages 12.9 a game, and is the only Bearkat who plays 30-plus minutes per game.
The women's game tips at 4 p.m. and can be seen on UNO Showcase. The men's game follows on WGSO 990 AM and wgso.com with Jude Young on the call.
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