Men's Basketball To Play At Texas A&M-Corpus Christi On Saturday

UNO NOTES | A&M-CC NOTES | LISTEN LIVE

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team will hope a change of venue can reverse its fortunes of late as the Privateers head to The Lone Star State to take on Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the American Bank Center.

The game against the Islanders marks the fifth time in six league games that UNO will face a team without a loss in conference play as Lamar was 1-0, Sam Houston was 2-0 and both Houston Baptist was and Stephen F. Austin were 4-0 at the time of competition. Saturday's contest against the Islanders is no different as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the weekend  with a perfect 5-0 mark in SLC action to date.

"It's been an interesting start for us to play these better teams right from the jump and we're anxious to get another one in Corpus Christi," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said. "I've got a ton of respect for [Islanders' head coach] Willis [Wilson] and his staff and the job that they have done in rebuilding that program. Last year, we went down to the buzzer all three times with an overtime loss and two losses that came down to the last possessions. It's a team that we think is a good matchup for us. We have similar styles and I'm really anxious to see if our guys can come out and steal a road win."

New Orleans heads to the state of Texas 5-11 on the year, 1-4 in Southland Conference action and looking to snap a four-game skid. Three of the team's losses during the current streak came by a combined 10 points while UNO dropped its last outing, 82-58, against Stephen F. Austin on Monday night in Lakefront Arena.

As a team, the Privateers are averaging 71.6 points, 38.2 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 8.6 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Junior guard Christavious Gill leads a balanced UNO offense  with 13.7 points per game while junior forward Erik Thomas, junior point guard Nate Frye and senior forward Kevin Hill follow with respective scoring averages of 10.0, 9.7 and 9.2. Thomas paces the team with 6.7 rebounds per game and headlines the defense with 0.8 blocked shot per outing. Frye leads the Privateers with 3.4 assists per game and Gill has a team-best 2.0 steals-per-contest average.

New Orleans is connecting at a .401 clip from the field, hitting 381-of-950 shots from the floor and 84-of-247 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.340), while allowing opponents to shoot .433 overall (388-of-897) and .309 from 3-point land (105-of-340). Privateer foes are averaging 73.4 points, 38.7 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.1 blocks so far in 2015-16.

"We've done some really good things offensively in practice," Slessinger added. "There are still a couple of things to tweak and some things that will help us a lot. Our staff has done an amazing job of continuing to work the guys, both individually in film and in team practice. They've done a great job of continuing our commitment to player and team development. The guys have responded very well to that. They're hungry for the next challenge, ready to fix this and get a win. We're taking this 18-mile marathon one mile at a time. We know this is the next mile, we have to win this one-mile race and move on to the next one."

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the weekend 14-3 on the year, a perfect 5-0 in Southland Conference play and riding the crest of a seven-game winning streak dating back to an 80-74 victory over Cal Poly on Dec. 20. TAMUCC's most recent win came on Tuesday night in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where the Islanders downed Northwestern State, 89-79, in Prather Coliseum.

As a team, the Islanders are averaging 75.2 points, 36.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 9.5 steals and 5.0 blocks per game. Thomas Rashawn leads three Texas A&M-Corpus Christi players with double-figure scoring averages at 17.5 points per game, followed by Brandon Pye at 11.4 and Hameed Ali at 10.4. In additiion to holding team-high scoring honors, Thomas also paces the team with 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Ali paces the squad with 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals per outing.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is hitting 42.6 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 429-of-1006 field goal attempts, including a 113-of-336 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.336). The Islanders' defense has allowed opponents to post a 40.0 shooting percentage (382-of-954) and a 33.1 clip from 3-point land (116-of-350). TAMUCC opponents are averaging 70.0 points, 37.7 rebounds, 16.8 assists, 6.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

"They have a ton of experience," Slessinger said of the Islanders. "They have eight seniors that have all played together for a while. They've got a great deal for one another. Offensively, they're efficient. The don't take a lot of forced, bad shots. They probably have the best true power forward in our league in Rashwun Thomas, who can put up double-doubles at different times. He's a load inside. They just have a good mix of talent that fits what they do."

Saturday's game between New Orleans and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi marks the 12 meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Privateers hold a slight 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.

UNO has lost the last three games to the Islanders, each of which came last season and each of which came down the final seconds. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi escaped Lakefront Arena with a 71-67 overtime victory on Jan. 24, won a 55-53 contest in Corpus on Feb. 16, and ended the Privateers' season with a 61-58 victory in the Southland Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on March 12 in Katy, Texas.

The Privateers are 2-3 against the Islanders in Corpus Christi including a 70-62 victory on Jan. 25, 2014, in UNO's last decision over TAMUCC. The series dates back to Dec. 19, 1970, when New Orleans posted an 84-70 win in the Human Performance Center.
 
Following the game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Privateers will return to action on Monday, Jan. 25, when they open a three-game homestand against Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. in Lakefront Arena. From there, UNO will play host to McNeese State on Saturday, Jan. 30, before squaring off against Nicholls on Monday, Feb. 1. Tickets to those contests and future Privateer sporting events can be purchased by clicking HERE or by calling the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263).