NEW ORLEANS, La. - New Orleans men's basketball program (6-11, SLC 3-3) took command of the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions in the first half but were hindered by turnovers that led to a 63-58 loss on the Lakefront Thursday night.
The first half saw New Orleans come out blazing putting up eight points while A&M - Commerce went scoreless within the first four minutes of the game. The Privateers crashed the boards with 16 defensive rebounds and three offensive rebounds and shot 40% from the arc. Led by Simeon Kirkland, who had ten points in the first half, the Privateers saw their largest lead at 26-14 and closed out the half 37-27.
The Lions returned with a roar in the second half that was sparked by Alonzo Dodd's driving layup five minutes into the half. Dodd started a 14-5 run that landed the Lions neck-and-neck with the Privateers at 49. Khaleb Wilson-Rouse's two made free-throws with six minutes left gave New Orleans a one-point advantage, but Khaliq Abdul-Mateen quickly answered with a shot from deep. The Lions then went on a 13-7 run to close out the game.
The key stat of the night were the 18 turnovers at the hands of the Privateers. New Orleans only connected on 6-of-18 shots in the second half compared to the Lions who were 13-of-31.
Three Privateers saw double-figures with Simeon Kirkland reaching a season and team-high 15 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Johnson also had 15 points and six assists. He shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe and connected on 2-of-5 three-pointers. Tyson Jackson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Jackson ended a streak of 22 consecutive made field goals over the last three matchups with his final shot of the night putting him at 6-of-7 form the field. Wilson-Rouse, K'mani Doughty, Turk Vincent, and Saniel Sackey also scored for the Privateers.
NEXT UP: The Privateers look to split the home stint as they face the Northwestern State Demons Saturday, Jan. 21. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
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