Big Second Half Lifts Men's Basketball Past Abilene Christian In Southland Opener

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NEW ORLEANS – Senior forward Erik Thomas scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as the University of New Orleans men's basketball team rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Abilene Christian, 75-66, in the Southland Conference opener for both teams on Thursday evening in Lakefront Arena.
 
Down 39-30 at the break, UNO scored eight of the first nine points of the second half to make it a one-point contest and took its first lead since 15:55 mark of the opening stanza courtesy of a three-point play by junior swing man Michael Zeno to stake the Privateers to a 56-54 lead with 9:42 left to play.
 
After trading baskets over the next 1:48, New Orleans took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by senior guard Nate Frye to make it 61-59 and never looked back. The trey sparked a 9-0 run, which put the Privateers ahead 67-59 with 3:52 on the clock, and UNO hit key free throws down the stretch to hold on.
 
"It was a good win and a tough, tough win against a really good Abilene Christian team," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said. "It's a team that is as well coach as any team in the league. They've got really good talent and every time we play it's a beat-them-up war. It's a great time each time we play.
 
"I was really proud of how hard and how unselfish our team played in the second half. We got dynamic performances from multiple guys. It's stuff that might not show up on the stat sheet. We got huge energy from the guys that came in. The bench changed the whole course of the game with their attitude and their energy. It was a big night for us."
 
The win was the second in a row for the Privateers and the third-consecutive victory in their SLC opener as UNO evened its record at 6-6. Abilene Christian, meanwhile, dropped its third straight contest to fall to 6-6.
 
After hitting just 10-of-26 field goals (.385) and 10-of-18 free throws (.556) in the first half, UNO regrouped during the intermission and shot 60.0 percent from the field (15-of-25) and 82.4 percent from the free throw line (14-of-17) over the final stanza. The Privateers held a 37-27 rebounding advantage and turned 15 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points. New Orleans also outscored Abilene Christian 46-28 in the paint and scored another 21 points off 17 Wildcat turnovers.
 
Frye joined Thomas in double figures offensively with 10 points off the bench while senior guard Tevin Broyles was next with nine and both Thibodeaux and junior forward Makur Puou added eight. Thomas shared team-high rebounding honors with Puou at eight each, and junior forward Travin Thibodeaux paced the Privateers with five assists. Thibodeaux and Zeno each had a pair of blocked shots while Thomas and senior guard Christavious Gill shared team-high steal honors with two apiece.
 
"They really played with poise," Slessinger said of his team. "It's really two parts. One of it is veteran guys who have been in a lot of fights. Those three guards – Broyles, Gill and Frye – have played a lot of minutes. They kept their poise and didn't get shaken. The other thing is we played a lot of tough people. I've said this a lot of times, but we've played a lot of good minutes – probably more good minutes than a 5-6 non-conference record should show.
 
"It paid off tonight in the second half. They didn't get flustered. They didn't get out of what we were trying to do and stuck with the game plan. They really bonded together in the second half and got good stops and rebounds."
 
The Privateers got off to a good start as Broyles sandwiched a pair of buckets around a 3-pointer by Abilene Christian's Jovan Crmic, Gill added a layup and Thomas answered a basket by Wildcat guard Jaren Lewis with a pair of free throws to stake UNO to an 8-5 lead 2:38 into the contest. From there, however, ACU went on a 12-3 run over the next 4:36 to go up 17-11 and held a seven-point advantage at 20-13 with 11:36 to go before halftime.
 
New Orleans got to within three on a trio of occasions only to see the Wildcats answer each time. Clinging to a 27-24 lead with 4:28 to play in the period, Abilene Christian used a 10-3 to go ahead by double figures at 37-27. The Wildcats took a nine-point lead into the locker room at the break before UNO changed the complexion of the game early in the second half.
 
"They had a great game plan against us," Slessinger added. "We were able to make some adjustments offensively at halftime to clean some stuff up. We got better. We had guys play through some foul trouble – Frye had four, Broyles had four, Puou had four. They played through it. They played very, very smart. They played very hard and fearless. That was a huge piece for us."
 
Lewis led Abilene Christian with 19 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Jaylen Franklin paced the Wildcats with five assists while Jalone Friday headlined the ACU defense with a pair of blocks.
 
The Privateers return to action on Saturday, Dec. 31, when they play host to Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. That game will be a Privateers doubleheader as the women's team will tipoff against the Islanders at 2 p.m. while the men are tentatively slated to start at 4:15 p.m. For tickets those games, as well as future Privateer Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office over the phone at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or via the Internet by clicking HERE.