HAMMOND, La. – The New Orleans Privateers basketball teams take to the floor this Thursday for the third of a five-game road trip when they face the Southeastern Lions in their only game of the week.
The Privateers men's team (7-9, 4-4 Southland) is coming off a conference weekend sweep with wins over Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It marks the first back-to-back conference road wins for the Privateers since February 2008.
Senior forward
Cory Dixon continues to lead the Privateers and the Southland in rebounding with 8.6 boards per game. Dixon hauled in 16 boards on Saturday, falling one shy of tying his career-high which he set against McNeese State on Jan. 4. Dixon is currently on pace to have the highest rebounding total in a single season since Hector Romero averaged 9.1 rebounds a contest in the 2002-03 season.
Freshman guard
Christavious Gill continues to heat up from the field. Gill was named UNO Student-Athlete of the Week for his weekend performance, which saw him average 18.5 points per game in the two wins. Gill has five double-digit scoring outputs in his last six games.
New Orleans has never lost a game to Southeastern in seven career meetings. However, this will be the first time the two schools will play each other since 2002.
Southeastern (9-10, 4-4) is coming off a split on the weekend. After falling by just three points to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, the Lions bounced back with a 60-52 victory over Houston Baptist on Saturday.
The Lions have alternated wins and losses in their last five games, and the program is looking to get back to .500 overall for the first time since Nov. 26, when their record stood at 3-3.
Offensively, Southeastern is led by Jamichael Hawkins who checks in with 14.2 points per game. Hawkins has scored at least 15 points in seven of his last eight games, and had three consecutive 20-plus point performances against Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State, and Lamar.
Southeastern currently ranks third in the Southland in blocked shots, averaging 4.3 swats per game. The Lions are led in that department by Devonte Upson and Onochie Ochie who both rank in the Top Ten in the conference.
The women's game precedes that contest with a 5 p.m. tip. The Privateers women's squad (0-19, 0-8) looks to break through for their first win after their most recent loss, a 97-44 defeat to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday.
Sophomore guard
Danielle Davis used Saturday to snap out of a recent shooting funk. Davis led the team with 12 points and went 4-of-9 from the field. In Davis' previous five games, she was held to just 17 total points, and did not make a field goal in three of those contests.
Senior forward
Amber Clay had her biggest offensive output of the season. Clay scored 10 points in just 17 minutes of play off the bench. It was Clay's first double-digit scoring effort of the season, and the eighth of her career.
The Privateers women's team has dropped four straight in the series against Southeastern. Their last victory over the Lady Lions came on Dec. 1, 2009. New Orleans dropped both meetings last season including a narrow 69-67 defeat in Hammond.
Southeastern (5-14, 4-3) is coming off an 85-84 double overtime victory at Houston Baptist. Aja Gibson set career highs in points (33) and rebounds (16) in the win. Elizabeth Styles hit a floater with 1.6 seconds remaining in the second overtime to help secure the win.
The Lady Lions are one of the better teams at defending the 3-point shot. Southeastern is allowing opponents to convert only 28.7 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks second in the conference. Southeastern is also in the top five in field goal percentage (40.2).
Four players average in double figures for Southeastern. Symone Miller leads the squad with 13.9 points per game. Nanna Pool is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, second-highest in the Southland to go along with her 11.8 points per game. Pool's season-high in rebounds was 19 in a win over NAIA foe, Mobile.
The women's game will be broadcast online at UNO Showcase with pre-game starting at 4:50 p.m. The men's contest follows on WGSO 990 AM and wgso.com with Jude Young on the call, with pregame starting 15 minutes after the conclusion of the women's contest.
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