UNO NOTES
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team will take aim at a 2-0 start in Southland Conference action when the Privateers take the court against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 4:30 p.m. (CST) in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Coming off a 68-64 victory at Lamar on Monday evening in Beaumont, Texas, UNO was in this exact position a year ago following a 72-67home victory over the Cardinals before falling to the Kats, 68-62, the next time out. This time around, the Privateers have added confidence and depth, and the team is hoping that could be the difference in posting their first 2-0 start in league play since the 2006-07 campaign.
"That was a big win and a good confidence builder," UNO head coach
Mark Slessinger said of Mondays win at Lamar. "The guys are in a pretty good place as a team right now. It's a big opportunity for us to have two tough games in a quick turnaround. This has been a tough stretch, but the guys are excited about the challenge. This is a chance for us to maybe string something together and get off to a great start in conference play.
"This is a huge game. Having been in this league for almost 16 years, [SHSU] Coach [Jason] Hooten and I have gone against each other so many times as assistant coaches and now head coaches. It's going to be a huge challenge for us against a really good ball club. Huntsville is a tough, tough place to win but I'm excited. We had a really good week of preparation and I think the guys are prepared and ready to play."
New Orleans heads to Huntsville 5-7 on the year and riding the crest of a two-game winning streak after downing Blue Mountain College, 94-61, on Dec. 29 and the four-point win at Lamar. As a team, the Privateers are averaging 73.3 points, 38.8 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 9.8 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.
Junior guard
Christavious Gill leads three UNO players averaging double figures offensively with 14.8 points per game while junior forward
Erik Thomas and junior point guard
Nate Frye sport respective scoring averages of 10.4 and 10.3. Thomas paces the team with 7.1 rebounds per game and sophomore
Travin Thibodeaux headlines the defense with 0.8 blocked shot per outing. Frye leads the Privateers with 3.8 assists per game and Gill has a team-best 2.2 steals-per-contest average.
New Orleans is connecting at a .409 clip from the field, hitting 295-of-722 shots from the floor and 68-of-183 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.372), while allowing opponents to shoot .429 overall (295-of-687) and .302 from 3-point land (79-of-262). Privateer foes are averaging 72.9 points, 39.2 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 8.6 steals and 5.2 blocks so far in 2015-16.
"We've been right at the cusp of winning some really big games," Slessinger added. "We've been right at the cusp of doing some special things early with this team. To see their development each week in practice, especially on the defensive end, we're learning how to guard and guard very efficiently. We've had good team spirit and they're playing very well for each other and with each other. It'll be interesting to see what we can do."
Sam Houston State, meanwhile, enters Saturday matchup 7-8 on the year and 2-0 in SLC play and after defeating Incarnate Word, 78-72, on Jan. 2 in San Antonio, Texas, before downing Northwestern State, 94-79, on Jan. 4 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
As a team, the Bearkats are averaging 75.9 points, 39.1 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 5.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Aurimas Majauskas leads Sam Houston offensively with 14.3 points per game, followed by Dakarai Henderson at 13.8, Jamal Williams at 9.2 and Torry Butler at 7.3. Butler paces the team with 7.1 rebounds per game and Majauskas has a team-best seven blocked shots. Williams headlines the unit with 4.0 assists and Jalin Barnes paces the defense with 1.1 steals per outing.
Sam Houston is hitting 42.2 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 394-of-933 field goal attempts, including a 117-of-355 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.330). The Bearkats' defense has allowed opponents to post a 44.1 shooting percentage (354-of-803) and a 35.2 clip from 3-point land (111-of-315). SHSU opponents are averaging 72.7 points, 35.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 5.2 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
Saturday's game between New Orleans and Sam Houston State marks the eighth meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Bearkats hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series. UNO has never won a game against SHSU in Huntsville, Texas, in two tries - falling 72-65 on Dec. 23, 2000 and 80-61 on March 8, 2014.
The series with the Bearkats dates back to Dec. 1 1970, when the Privateers posted a 98-85 win in the Human Performance Center. UNO won the the next meeting, 99-67, in Lakefront Arena on Jan. 15, 1987, but have dropped each of the next five head-to-head matchups. In addition to the losses in Huntsville, New Orleans dropped a 77-70 contest on Jan. 18, 2014, and last year's six-point decision on Jan. 10. Both of those games were in Lakefront Arena.
Following the game at Sam Houston State, UNO returns to action on Monday, Jan. 11, when the Privateers play host to Southland foe Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. in Lakefront Arena. Tickets to that contest, which is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m., and future Privateer sporting events can be purchased by clicking
HERE or by calling the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263).
--www.UNOPrivateers.com--
