HOUSTON – The University of Houston (5-1) lead was erased three times in the second half but the Cougars connected on four consecutive triples to end the University of New Orleans (1-5) comeback hopes Wednesday evening at the H&PE Arena, defeating the Privateers 75-66.
Travin Thibodeaux finished with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting,
Troy Green added a career-high 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists and
Michael Zeno tallied five assists and four steals.
FIRST HALF
Head coach
Mark Slessinger emphasized energy and aggressiveness. Within seconds of the tip, the Privateers showcased that with Green's and-one to put the game's opening points on the board.
However, a 13-2 Houston run allowed the Cougars to take a 25-12 lead with 10:52 left in the half.
UNO was able to cut the deficit to eight with 7:46 remaining after five unanswered points and later in the frame, to seven after Zeno's beautiful floater.
Thibodeaux drove to the hoop and banked in a layup followed by a
Diontae Champion, making it 32-27 UH with less than three minutes to go in the opening stanza.
After Thibodeaux's free throws, Zeno's third steal of the half led to a
Lamont Berzat layup to make it a five-point ballgame. Rob Gray connected ended the half with a second chance jumper to give Houston a 38-31 lead heading into the locker room.
Thibodeaux picked up 10 points in the first on 4-of-5 shooting, followed by Zeno's seven points, four assists and three steals. Green had six points, four rebounds and three assists.
SECOND HALF
It took just over two minutes to make it a one possession game as Zeno's steal/layup and Green's bunny cut the Houston lead to three with 17:45 left to play. Moments later,
Ezekiel Charles hit his first triple of the game to cut the Cougars lead to two with 16:17 remaining.
Coming out of the under-16,
Damion Rosser's long rebound led to a transition bucket to tie the ballgame at 40-all.
Down five with 10:35 remaining,
Bryson Robinson triple and Thibodeaux's layup tied the ballgame for the third time.
The Cougars got hot at the right time, connecting on four from long distance to make it a 12-point ballgame. The 12-0 run ended when Green's banker beat the shot clock and Thibodeaux drained a three from straight away to cut the deficit to seven.
Gray knocked down his late free throws to lead the Cougars to the 75-66 victory.
NEXT UP
The Privateers host Williams Baptist Saturday at 2 p.m. on
Ugly Sweater Day. Fans are encouraged to wear ugly sweaters. There will be a banner reveal prior to Saturday's tip.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow
@UNOPrivateers on Twitter,
@UNOPrivateers on Instagram, like
/UNOPrivateers on Facebook and subscribe to the
PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.
