Men's Hoops To Wrap 2015-16 Road Slate Monday At Nicholls

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NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team will wrap up the 2015-16 regular-season road schedule on Monday, Feb. 29, when the Privateers travel to Thibodaux to take on Southland Conference foe Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym.

The contest is especially important for both teams at this juncture of the season. UNO will look lock up a spot in the upcoming Southland Tournament and build some momentum heading into the championship event. The Colonels, meanwhile, are playing for their postseason lives as a loss in any of their final three games will eliminate Nicholls from tournament contention.

"It's always a hard place to play," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said. "We'd like to make sure we close out our shot and get a better idea of where we'll be going into the last two [games]. It's definitely a must win for us from all aspects. We know they're going to be ready to play. It'll be a great rivalry game for us."

New Orleans heads to Thibodaux 9-17 on the year, 5-10 in Southland Conference action and looking to snap a two-game skid after dropping a 93-81 decision at Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 24 and falling 87-84 on a last-second shot at Abilene Christian on Feb. 27.

As a team, the Privateers are averaging 74.7 points, 38.3 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 8.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game. Junior guard Christavious Gill leads a balanced UNO offense with 13.8 points per game while junior forward Erik Thomas, junior guard Nate Frye and senior forward Kevin Hill with respective scoring averages of 11.4, 9.8 and 9.5. Thomas paces the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and the tandem of Hill and sophomore wing Michael Zeno headline the defense with 0.6 blocked shots per outing each. Frye leads the Privateers with 3.3 assists per game and Gill has a team-best 1.8 steals-per-contest average.

New Orleans is connecting at a .415 clip from the field, hitting 657-of-1582 shots from the floor and at a .334 mark from beyond the 3-point arc (132-of-395), while allowing opponents to shoot .449 overall (676-of-1507) and .352 from 3-point land (193-of-548). Privateer foes are averaging 77.5 points, 37.7 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.7 blocks so far in 2015-16.

Nicholls enters Monday's contest 7-22 on the year, 3-12 in Southland Conference play and looking to halt a four-game losing streak dating back to a 69-61 defeat at Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 13. The last time out, the Colonels dropped a 71-69 overtime decision at McNeese State.

As a team, the Colonels are averaging 66.7 points, 33.1 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game. Ja'Dante Frye is one of two Nicholls player to average double figures offensively with a 13.0 point-per-game clip while T.J. Carpenter is close behind at 12.1. Carpenter paces the squad with 5.1 rebounds per game while Liam Thomas has 2.2 blocked shots per contest. Shane Rillieux headlines the squad with 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per outing.

Nicholls is hitting 41.4 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 659-of-1592 field goal attempts, including a 184-of-600 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.307). The Colonels' defense has allowed opponents to post a 45.7 shooting percentage (802-of-1754) and a 34.7 clip from 3-point land (199-of-573). Nicholls opponents are averaging 78.0 points, 39.9 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 8.5 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.

Monday's game between New Orleans and Nicholls marks the 25th meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Privateers hold a 16-8 advantage in the all-time series. UNO is 3-3 against the Colonels since joining the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 season, including wins in the last two head-to-head matchups: an 82-73 contest during the 2015 SLC Tournament last March 11 in Katy, Texas, and a 74-53 victory back on Feb. 1 in Lakefront Arena.

While New Orleans is 9-2 against the Colonels when playing in New Orleans, the Privateers are just 4-6 in Thibodaux with losses in each of the last four times they played in Stopher Gym - including a 67-55 loss last Feb. 2. UNO's last win in the bayou region came in an 80-66 victory on Nov. 24, 2001.

Following the game at Nicholls, UNO will be back in Lakefront Arena on March 3 to take on Southeastern Louisiana before closing out the regular season at home against Northwestern State on March 5. Both of those home contests are the second half of UNO doubleheaders as the respective schools' women's teams will play prior to the men's contests.

Tickets UNO's final two home games of the 2015-16 basketball season and future Privateer sporting events can be purchased by clicking HERE or by calling the UNO Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263).