Men's Basketball Heads To Hammond To Face SLC Foe Southeastern Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS NOTES | SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA NOTES
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NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team will pack its two-game winning streak with an eye on maintaining its lead in the Southland Conference standings when the Privateers head to Hammond, La., to take on league foe Southeastern Louisiana at 5:45 p.m. in the University Center. Tipoff is slated for 5:45 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Fresh off a 69-63 win at McNeese on Thursday night to improve to 14-9 overall and 9-3 in SLC action, UNO got some additional good news on the bus ride home as Lamar defeated Sam Houston State, 80-76 in overtime, in Beaumont to give the squad from the Lakefront sole possession of first place in the conference standings. While it feels good to be at the top for the moment, the Privateers realize the task is not complete and the path to a championship will not get much easier as the end of the regular season approaches.

"It's huge," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said of his team's win at McNeese and the assist from the Cardinals' win over Sam Houston State. "We'll be very humble about it and glad that we got it, but we've got another huge one on Saturday at Southeastern. They're a team that has been so good at home all year. Coach Ladner has their team playing at a high level and they're going to be prepared and ready for us.

"We know that it's going to be as big of a challenge as we've faced all year on Saturday, and I know our guys are excited about the opportunity to compete against them. We're anxious to get home tonight, get to bed and get ready to prepare for that huge conference game."

As a team, New Orleans is averaging 73.1 points, 35.6 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.2 blocks per game. Senior forward Erik Thomas leads the Privateers offensively with 19.9 points per game, followed by senior guards Christavious Gill at 11.5 and Nate Frye with a mark of 10.3. Thomas also paces the team with 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals a night with junior forward Travin Thibodeaux leading the squad with 3.7 assists per game. Junior forward Makur Puou headlines the defense with 1.1.4 blocked shots per contest.

New Orleans is connecting at a .476 clip from the field, hitting 606-of-1273 shots from the floor and 98-of-298 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.329), while allowing opponents to shoot .449 overall (585-of-1302) and .322 from 3-point land (153-of-475). Privateer foes are averaging 71.0 points, 31.6 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 8.7 steals and 3.0 blocks so far in 2016-17.

Southeastern Louisiana, meanwhile, enters the weekend 13-12 on the season, 6-6 in Southland action and looking to bounce back from an 80-75 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday evening.

As a team, the Lions are averaging 72.2 points, 35.8 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.3 blocks per game. Marlain Veal leads a balanced offense with a 13.3 point-per-game average while Davon Hayes, Moses Greenwood and Eddy Polanco follow with respective scoring marks of 13.1, 12.2 and 9.8. Veal also paces the team in assists and steals with 4.3 dimes and 1.6 thefts per outing. James Currington leads the squad in rebounding with 6.7 boards per outing and Dominic Nelson headlines the defense with 1.9 blocks per contest.

Southeastern Louisiana is hitting 45.2 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 627-of-1386 attempts, including a 178-of-467 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.381). The Lion defense has allowed opponents to post a 43.4 shooting percentage (598-of-1378) and a 33.7 clip from 3-point land (151-of-448) and their foes are averaging 68.6 points, 32.2 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 6.4 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.

Saturday's game between New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana marks the 14th meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Privateers hold a 10-3 advantage in the all-time series. Since joining the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 campaign, UNO is 4-3 against the Lions, and all three wins came last season.

New Orleans is 5-1 against Southeastern Louisiana when playing in Hammond, and the lone loss came last Feb. 24 when the Privateers fell behind big early on and dropped a 93-81 decision. UNO is 5-1 against the Lions at home and 0-1 on a neutral court – that contest ended the 2015-16 season as the Privateers dropped an 84-74 decision in the opening round of the SLC Tournament in Katy, Texas. UNO's last win against SLU was an 85-79 home victory on March 5, 2015, and the team's last win in Hammond was a 74-73 thriller on Feb. 23, 2015.

Following the showdown with the Lions, the Privateers will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they play host to Central Arkansas at 4 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.