Men's Basketball Surges In Second Half To Down McNeese, 69-63

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LAKE CHARLES, La. – It was not always pretty but, for the Privateers, the end result sure was sweet as the University of New Orleans surged in the second half to defeat Southland Conference foe McNeese, 69-63, on Thursday evening in Burton Coliseum.

Down 39-34 with 15:18 to play in the contest, UNO went on a 15-2 run over the next 4:04, including three 3-pointers and a layup by junior guard Jorge Rosa, to take a 49-41 lead it would not relinquish. The Cowboys whittled the Privateer advantage down to three twice late in the game, but New Orleans scored eight of the game's final 13 points of the game to account for the final score.

The win was the second in a row for the Privateers as UNO improved to 14-9 on the year and 9-3 in Southland play. McNeese, meanwhile, dropped its second consecutive contest to fall to 7-16 overall and 4-8 in conference action.

"This is a place that is difficult to get wins in and it has been for the 15 or however many years it is that I've been in this league now," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said. "This is a good ball club. They play very well at home. They shoot 40 percent at home from the 3 during conference play. We were able to keep them from shooting well from the 3 and that was the key.

"We gave up way too many offensive rebounds in the first half that led to second-chance points for them. We were able to cut that out in the second half and that was the difference in the ballgame. Coach [Dave] Simmons does an unbelievable job and we're fortunate to get a win here."

As a team, the Privateers hit 46.2 percent from the field (24-of-52), including a 14-of-26 showing in the second half (.538), and held a slight 35-34 rebounding advantage. Both teams had 34 points in the paint, but New Orleans held a 23-19 edge in points off turnovers and an 8-2 advantage in fast-break points while the bench outscored their Cowboy counterparts, 36-25.

Senior forward Erik Thomas led three Privateers with double-digit offensive totals with 16 points while junior swing man Michael Zeno and Rosa came off the bench to post 15 and 14, respectively. Zeno led the Privateers in rebounding seven and shared team-high steal honors with Thomas and senior guard Nate Frye at three thefts apiece. Frye and junior forward Travin Thibodeaux tied for the team lead in assists with four apiece while Thibodeaux and junior forward Makur Puou each had a block.

"Mike has been in a great groove the last three or four games," Slessinger said. "He's playing at a high level with tremendous energy. He's just got such an infectious attitude. Jorge, over the last week and a half, has been so strong in practice and has been playing very well. It showed tonight. He's got a lot of confidence. He's got the green light to shoot open shots. When they zone us, it was a big asset for us to bring him off the bench and make shots."

The Privateers got off to a rough start as McNeese scored the game's first four points, led 12-4 at the first media timeout and were up by as many as 11 at 17-6 with 12:46 to play in the opening stanza. UNO followed with a 7-0 run over the next 5:37 to make it 17-13 and got to within three at 21-18 with 4:50 to play in the period. McNeese scored four in a row to stretch the lead back to seven and New Orleans answered with seven straight points by Zeno to tie things up at 25-all with 2:48 to go before the break. From there, however, the Cowboys outscored UNO 8-4 the rest of the half to go into the locker room with a 33-29 lead.

New Orleans opened the second half by sandwiching a pair of free throws by senior guard Tevin Broyles and a Thomas free throw around a McNeese layup and Thomas followed with a dunk to get to within one. The Cowboys came right back with back-to-back jumpers by Jamaya BVurr and Lance Potier before UNO went on its game-deciding run.

Frye got things going with a layup and Rosa's first 3-pointer tied the game at 39-39 with 14:27 to go. Potier put McNeese back on top momentarily with a layup 1:19 later only to see the Privateers respond with a Rosa trey to give the squad from the Lakefront a 42-41 lead it would not relinquish. Zeno followed with a dunk and Rosa connected on a layup and a 3-pointer the next two times down the floor to give New Orleans an eight-point lead.

McNeese refused to go away quietly as the Cowboys scored the next four points, but a pair of Thomas free throws and a Broyles bucket made it 53-45 with 7:49 to go. The two teams traded blows over the next 4:26 and following a Thomas dunk, Burr drained a 3-pointer to get to within three with 3:10 on the clock. Rosa and McNeese's James Harvey hit 3-pointers on the next two possessions, but UNO quieted any talks of a comeback as Frye and senior guard Christavious Gill had layups for the Privateers to all but put the game away.

Burr led three Cowboys in double figures with 13 points while Potier and Harvey added 11 each. Potier posted the game's lone double-double with 10 rebounds to go with his point total and shared the team lead in steals with Jarren Greenwood and Richard Laku at two each. Burr also paced McNeese with four assists and Howard Thomas tallied a game-high two blocked shots.

"We've got another huge one on Saturday at Southeastern," Slessinger added. "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."

The Privateers return to action Saturday, Feb. 11, when they head to Hammond, La., to take on Southeastern Louisiana. The showdown with the Lions is part of a UNO basketball doubleheader as both school's women's teams will square off at 3 p.m. with the men's game slated to start at 5:45 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

From there, the Privateers will return to the Crescent City to take on Central Arkansas on Saturday, Feb. 18, 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.