Strong Second Half Lifts Men's Basketball Past Central Arkansas, 81-63

POSTGAME VIDEO INTERVIEW | QUOTES | GAME BOOK (PDF)

CONWAY, Ark. – Victories have come in different ways for the Privateers during the 2016-17 campaign, but winning in any manner is all that matters. On Saturday afternoon in the Farris Center, the University of New Orleans men's basketball team used a strong defensive effort and an impressive second half to claim a 81-63 decision over Southland Conference foe Central Arkansas.

Clinging to a 44-43 lead with 13:48 to play, UNO used a 17-8 run over the next 4:30 to take a 10-point advantage and answered a Bears basket with a 10-0 run to blow the game open. The win was second in a row for the Privateers, who improve to 11-7 overall and 6-1 in league play. The victory was the third SLC road victory in as many opportunities to date, the 11 wins has already surpassed the team's total of a year ago and the six conference decisions equals the mark of 2015-16 with 11 games to go.

"The guys came out with a lot of pop and energy," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said. "In the first half, we played a pretty good defensive half. We left some points on the table and they picked up three or four baskets off loose balls. We wanted to play this game in the 50s and 60s, and held them to 63 but we felt that we gave some points away in the first half. That was unacceptable for where we are and what we need to do. Overall, our defensive effort was strong.

"That Central Arkansas team is good. Russ Pennell is a great coach. He's got these guys going in the right direction. They are as dangerous of an offensive team as there is in our conference. When they get going, they can score baskets in bunches. We were very lucky to come out of this tough environment with a win today."

As a team, New Orleans hit 55.4 percent of its field goals (31-of-56), including a 7-of-15 performance from beyond the 3-point arc (.467). While Central Arkansas had a respectable 41.1 field goal percentage (23-of-56), the Privateers held the Bears to their lowest point total in seven games. UNO also limited Central Arkansas guard Jordan Howard, who entered the game second in the SLC in points per game with a 19.4 average – to 14 points – half of which came in the final five minutes after the Privateers were already ahead by 18.

UNO held a 39-22 rebounding advantage and turned 14 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points. Turnovers kept the game close throughout the first half as Central Arkansas forced seven and turned those miscues into nine points, but the Privateers did not commit another until the 5:06 mark of the second half to finish with just 12.

The senior tandem of guard Nate Frye and forward Erik Thomas shared team-high scoring honors with 16 apiece while senior guard Tevin Broyles and junior forward Travin Thibodeaux added 12 each. Thibodeaux completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds. Broyles and junior swing man Michael Zeno each had four of the team's 17 assists and senior guard Christavious Gill paced the defense with three steals.

"One of the things we talked about in pregame that we thought would be a key for us was we had to pass up good shots to get great shots," Slessinger said. "We gave up quite a few good shots and got some great shots – and they were late in the clock. That's one of the big things that gets me excited and this team could be playing for a while because we pass up good shots to get great shots when you're late in the clock. That can be hard to do.

"Thibodeaux was good and had a great voice. When his voice is good, we're pretty good – especially on the defensive end. It was another balanced scoring night for us, which is always good."

The Privateers got off to a good start as baskets by Broyles, Thomas and Thibodeaux staked the team to a 6-0 lead and UNO never trailed at any point for the second-consecutive game. The Bears rallied to tie the game at 11-, 13- and 18-all only to see New Orleans answered each of Central Arkansas' runs. The Privateers' first-half advantage swelled to as many as seven at 29-22 with 5:29 to play before the break, but UCA rattled off six straight to make it a one-point affair 1:55 later. UNO build the lead back to five at 34-29 in the closing minutes and with two second on the clock, Jeff Lowery buried a contest 3-pointer to send the Privateers into the locker room holding a 34-32 advantage.

The back-and-forth battle continued early in the second half as Central Arkansas battled to tie the game at 38-38, New Orleans rattled off six in a row and the Bears answered with a 3-pointer by Derreck Books and a basket by Albert Christensson to make it 44-43. From there, UNO sparked its game-deciding rally with a 3-pointer by junior guard Jorge Rosa and led 61-51 with 9:18 to go.

Following a bucket by Lowery, the Privateers quieted any talks of a Bears' comeback as Thomas sandwiched a dunk and a layup around a Puou jumper, and both Frye and Thibodeaux both drained a pair of free throws to stake the Privateers to an 18-point advantage and all but put the game away.

"There have been lulls where we've built leads, and we gave one away in the first half," Slessinger added. "We got out of what we were doing defensively and it was probably our worst three-minute stretch. I think they went on an 8-2 or a 9-2 run during that stretch. I had to use a timeout at the four-minute mark, which I didn't want to do, but we had to stop the momentum and get ourselves back at it. We did and we ended up closing out the half strong except for that 3-pointer at the buzzer by them. Over the long haul, we were able to build a lead and continue to get stops and then pull away."

Howard was one of two Bears to score in double figures as Mathieu Kamba led the team with a game-high 18 points. Kamba also paced Central Arkansas with six rebounds while Brooks, Howard and Lowery shared team-high assist honors with three each. Lowery led the UCA defense with two steals while Brooks and Tanner Schmit had one block apiece.

The Privateers return to action on Thursday, Jan. 26, when they play host to McNeese at 7 p.m. in Lakefront Arena. For tickets to that game, as well as future New Orleans Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office over the phone at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or via the Internet by clicking HERE.