New Orleans Makes Assembly Hall Debut, Falls at Indiana 79-59

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The New Orleans men's basketball team hung tough at Indiana on Monday night, but couldn't crack the stout Hoosier defense as the Privateers fell 79-59 in front of 13,182 fans in historic Assembly Hall.
 
New Orleans (3-5) outscored Indiana (10-2) in the second half, 37-35, and were led by Kevin Hill's 12-point, 11-rebound double-double effort to go with the game's leading scorer in Tevin Broyles who put in 18.
 
"To be able to beat them in the second half and for us to keep coaching and keep working across the board, it was really exciting to see," said New Orleans head coach Mark Slessinger. "It was so important that we kept grinding and they understood that we wanted to make this as close as we could. Every possession mattered and we had to keep that effort."
 
The Privateers kept things competitive for most of the first half, responding to a 5-0 Indiana lead with a Michael Zeno layup to put New Orleans on the board.
 
A Hill put-back with 15 minutes on the clock then brought a six-point Hoosier lead down to just four points at 11-7. Hill then brought the lead back to just one-possession for the home team with a jumper, cutting it to 16-13 with 10:55 to go.
 
New Orleans then responded to a 7-0 run with one of their own, picking up baskets from Broyles and Hill to cut the IU lead down to 23-17 at the 7:56 mark. Broyles then connected on a triple off of the Colton Weisbrod assists, chipping the deficit down to four points at 26-22 with six minutes remaining in the half.
 
But it was Indiana that went on to end the first 20 minutes on an 18-0 run, taking the 44-22 lead into the break.
 
Coming into the second half the team's exchanged a pair of field goals before Broyles brought the lead down to 20 points for Indiana at 47-27 with a made layup off of the Christavious Gill assist.
 
Frye then brought it below 20 30-seconds later with a layup and the free throw, setting the score at 47-30 with 17:34 remaining in regulation as New Orleans outscored Indiana 8-3 though the first 2:23 of the half.
 
Five quick points from the Hoosiers then sent Indiana back up by 20 at 50-30 just 25 seconds later. New Orleans was able to crack the 20-point barrier with 12:25 remaining in the contest as Terrance Syon made it 61-43 on a layup with the assist from Frye.
 
Syon would again get the Privateers within 19 on another layup, this one coming with 7:32 to go, setting things at 70-51 before a 6-3 run from Indiana brought the lead back above 20.
 
Indiana then held onto at least a 20-point edge for the final five minutes as the Hoosiers took the contest on their home floor.
 
Along with the double-digit scoring efforts from Broyles and Hill, Syon also aided in the effort with his 10.
 
Frye again led New Orleans in the assists column with three.
 
As a team, the Privateers committed just nine turnovers while coming up with nine assists and seven steals. New Orleans also won the battle in the paint, outscoring Indiana 44-42 in that category.
 
The Privateers are back at it as they return home to the Lakefront Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 30, as New Orleans takes on Central Baptist at 7:45 p.m. CT.

To keep up with the latest New Orleans men' basketball news, follow the team on Twitter @UNOPrivateers and @Privateers_MBB or by liking New Orleans Privateers on Facebook.