Men's Basketball Heads To San Antonio For Saturday Game At Incarnate Word

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SAN ANTONIO – The University of New Orleans finds itself in an unfamiliar situation based on recent history, but the Privateers will look to maintain sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference standings on Saturday when they take on Incarnate Word on Saturday, Jan. 7, in the McDermott Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

At 3-0 in league play and riding the crest of a four-game winning streak, UNO is undefeated in conference play after a trio of games for the first time since 2006-07. While the Cardinals will no doubt do whatever they can to defend their home court, a win vs UIW would give the Privateers their first 4-0 conference start since the 1992-93 team ran the table with a perfect 18-0 showing in the Sun Belt.

The Privateers head to San Antonio 8-6 on the year and fresh off a 66-62 overtime victory against Lamar on Thursday evening in Beaumont, Texas. As a team, New Orleans is averaging 73.0 points, 36.6 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 7.8 steals and 3.6 blocks per game. Senior forward Erik Thomas leads the Privateers offensively with 19.8 points per game, followed by senior guards Nate Frye with an average of 12.5 and Christavious Gill with a mark of 12.4.

Thomas also paces the team with 8.2 rebounds a night with junior forward Travin Thibodeaux leading the squad with 3.6 assists per game. Thomas and Gill share team-high steal honors with 1.6 thefts per outing, and junior forward Makur Puou headlines the defense with 1.4 blocked shots per contest.

New Orleans is connecting at a .461 clip from the field, hitting 370-of-802 shots from the floor and 64-of-201 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.318), while allowing opponents to shoot .448 overall (364-of-813) and .314 from 3-point land (93-of-296). Privateer foes are averaging 73.9 points, 33.3 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 9.2 steals and 3.4 blocks so far in 2016-17.

Incarnate Word, meanwhile, enters the ballgame 6-8 on the season, 1-2 in Southland action and looking to build on an 84-80 come-from-behind victory over Northwestern State on Thursday in the McDermott Convocation Center.

As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 77.9 points, 34.7 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.2 blocks per game. Shawn Johnson leads four UIW players averaging double figures offensively with a 16.4 point-per-game average while Simi Socks, Jalin Hart and Tyler Singleton follow with respective scoring marks of 14.3, 14.2 and 10.3. Johnson also leads the way in rebounding with 7.7 boards per outing while Hart paces the squad with 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per contest. Defensively, Devin Wyatt headlines the unit with 2.4 blocks per night.

Incarnate Word is hitting 44.9 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 366-of-816 attempts, including a 100-of-265 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.377). The Cardinal defense has allowed opponents to post a 44.5 shooting percentage (388-of-872) and a 32.5 clip from 3-point land (83-of-255) and their foes are averaging 80.6 points, 40.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game.

Saturday's game between New Orleans and Incarnate marks the just the fourth meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Privateers trail in the all-time series, 0-3. Each of those games have come since UNO joined the Southland Conference prior to the 2013-14 season.

New Orleans dropped the first meeting, 78-55, on Jan. 11, 2014, in San Antonio, and dropped a 97-66 contest in Lakefront Arena on Jan. 12, 2015. The closest game to date came last Jan. 11 when Incarnate Word escaped the Crescent City with a 71-68 victory.

Following Saturday's showdown in San Antonio, Texas, the Privateers will return home and next play on Thursday, Jan. 12, when they host preseason SLC favorite Sam Houston State in Lakefront Arena. For tickets to that game, 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.