Men's Basketball To Play At Stephen F. Austin On Saturday

NEW ORLEANS NOTES | STEPHEN F. AUSTIN NOTES
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NEW ORLEANS – In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. That will be the challenge for the University of New Orleans men's basketball team on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, to take on four-time defending Southland Conference regular-season and tournament champion Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. in William R. Johnson Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

The Privateers enter the weekend 12-7 on the year and leading the current SLC standings at 7-1. The Lumberjacks, however, have dominated the league over the last four seasons, has won 58-of-62 conference games since the 2013-14 season and emerged victorious in 42 consecutive home league contests dating back to a 74-41 decision over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi back on Feb. 25, 2012.

"They're great," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said of Stephen F. Austin. "They're loaded with talent and very well coached with Kyle Keller and his staff. They've got some talent. They're good and they can score. We're going to have to have a special day to come out of there with a win.

"Johnson Coliseum is a tough, fun place to play, but I know our guys are excited. They're anxious for the challenge and we want to keep New Orleans at the top. We want to keep working, keep our city where it's supposed to be and keep the University up at the top."

The Privateers head to Nacogdoches with a head of steam after posting wins of 72-64 over Houston Baptist on Jan. 19 in New Orleans, 81-73 over Central Arkansas on Jan. 21 in Conway, Ark., and 75-56 over McNeese on Thursday evening in Lakefront Arena. As a team, New Orleans is averaging 73.9 points, 36.0 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.

Senior forward Erik Thomas leads the Privateers offensively with 19.7 points per game, followed by senior guards Christavious Gill and Nate Frye with identical marks of 11.8. Thomas also paces the team with 7.8 rebounds a night with junior forward Travin Thibodeaux leading the squad with 3.6 assists per game. Gill holds team-high steal honors with 1.7 thefts per outing and junior forward Makur Puou headlines the defense with 1.4 blocked shots per contest.

New Orleans is connecting at a .476 clip from the field, hitting 507-of-1066 shots from the floor and 81-of-251 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.323), while allowing opponents to shoot .445 overall (483-of-1085) and .306 from 3-point land (118-of-386). Privateer foes are averaging 71.5 points, 32.0 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 8.8 steals and 2.9 blocks so far in 2016-17.

Stephen F. Austin, meanwhile, enters the ballgame 10-10 on the season, 5-3 in Southland action and winners of four of its last five games, including a 78-76 home win over Central Arkansas on Wednesday evening.

As a team, the Lumberjacks are averaging 69.2 points, 34.7 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.1 blocks per game. Ivan Canete leads three SFA student-athletes averaging double figures offensively with a 12.2 point-per-game average while T.J. Holyfield and Leon Gilmore, III, follow with respective scoring marks of 11.4 and 10.0. Canete also paces the team in steals with 1.6 thefts per outing and Dallas Cameron leads the way in assists with 2.7 dimes per contest. Holyfield leads the squad in rebounding and blocks with 6.2 boards and 1.3 swats per outing.

Stephen F. Austin is hitting 43.9 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 464-of-1058 attempts, including a 131-of-393 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.333). The Lumberjack defense has allowed opponents to post a 45.6 shooting percentage (460-of-1008) and a 36.4 clip from 3-point land (122-of-335) and their foes are averaging 68.4 points, 29.3 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game.

Saturday's game between New Orleans and Stephen F. Austin marks just the fourth meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Lumberjacks hold a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series. All three games have come since the Privateers joined the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 campaign, and the games have been decided by a combined average of 29.7 points.

In the initial meeting, Stephen F. Austin rolled past New Orleans 103-63 in Lakefront Arena on Feb. 27, 2014, and the Lumberjacks posted a 79-54 decision on Jan. 19, 2015, in Nacogdoches, Texas. Last season, UNO kept things close for a while, but ultimately fell 82-58 on Jan. 18 in New Orleans.

The game at Stephen F. Austin is the first of two road contests for the Privateers as UNO will play at Abilene Christian on Wednesday, Feb. 1, before returning home to face Nicholls on Saturday, Feb. 4, 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.