NEW ORLEANS, La.- The New Orleans Privateers (4-4) head west for two games beginning with San Jose State Saturday at Provident Credit Union Event Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will air on the Mountain West Network and the Privateer Sports Network with Jude Young on the call.
PREVIEW
Jordan Johnson reached 1,000 career points as New Orleans pushed pass Belhaven 79-65. Johnson and Khaleb Wilson-Rouse combined for 51 points Tuesday night to improve the Privateers to 3-0 at home. Both veteran guards were perfect at the foul line at 4-of-4. The Privateers scored 20 points off 17 Blazers turnovers. New Orleans enjoyed a 20-4 advantage in bench points and 20-8 in fastbreak points.
Johnson paced the Privateers with 29 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal. The senior out of Memphis, Tenn. was 7-of-13 from the three-point range. He is the 25th student-athlete to reach 1,000 points in program history and the fourth under Head Coach Mark Slessinger. Johnson is leading the Privateers in scoring (23.25) and assists (4.4) while shooting .394 percent from deep (28-of-71). He ranks 4th in scoring in the NCAA and first among Southland Conference schools. He has scored 20+ points in five out of eight games and double figures in all eight games to include his 31-point game at Loyola Chicago.
The New Orleans Player of the Game, Wilson-Rouse, averaged nearly 20 points per game over the last four contests. The Chicago native matched his career-high of 22 points while adding three assists and three steals against Belhaven. Wilson-Rouse averages 12.9 points per game and leads the team in steals (2.5). The Chicago native also leads the conference in that category and ranks 23rd nationally. He matched a career-high eight steals in the win over UCA.
Jamond Vincent led the Privateers last time out on the boards with nine while scoring eight points. The New Orleans native was very efficient around the rim making his first three shots late in the first half. Vincent, who has started five out of eight games, averages 7.6 points and leads the Privateers in rebounds (6.1). He also had a season-high 13 points against SUNO.
D'Ante Bell started all eight games and put up a season-high nine points against Millsaps while grabbing a career-high 12 boards against North Dakota. He is averaging 4.6 points per game.
Tyson Jackson played his first home game against Belhaven. He is averaging 5.3 points per game. He put up a season-high 15 points at Oklahoma State.
Through eight games, eight Privateers have scored in double figures at least once, two put up double-figures in boards, and one Privateer (Jah Short) has recorded a double-double.
New Orleans remains ranked among the best in Division I in forced turnovers, (18.38) sitting at #5 in the NCAA. The Privateers are scoring 79.4 points per game and shooting .767 percent from the foul line in comparison to their opponents at .641 percent. The Privateers are scoring 20.5 points off turnovers and averaging 10.4 steals per game.
A win over San Jose State would improve the Privateers' record to 5-4, up their record to 2-1 against San Jose State and 3-10 against Mountain West opponents.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans are undefeated at home this season with a 3-0 record. In the Spartans' most recent game, an overtime loss at North Dakota State, Alvaro Cardenas recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. The Spartans registered 44 points in the second half and have started the 2023-24 season by scoring more than 40 points in a half seven times. Tibet Görener is fifth all-time for most 3-pointers made at SJSU with 131. He is three away from tying Rashad Muhammad (2013-15) for fourth at 134. Cardenas has dished out 50 assists this season. He has 251 assists in his two-plus years at San José State and needs just eight to crack the SJSU all-time assists list. This season, he is averaging five assists per game which is sixth in the conference. Trey Anderson ranks fourth in school history in three-point percentage (among players who have played in at least 50 games and averaged one or more three-point attempts per game). His career mark from beyond the arc is 42.1 percent, connecting on 106 of 252 attempts. Diongue has recorded at least one block in nine straight games. The Spartans are second in the Mountain West Conference in three-pointers made per game at 8.60. They are also fourth in the conference in three-point percentage at .345.
SERIES WITH SAN JOSE STATE
This game marks the third meeting between the two teams. New Orleans is 1-1 all-time against the Spartans with a 72-68 win in 2012 at Lakefront Arena and a 71-64 loss in 2013. In the win, Cory Dixon (now assistant coach) connected on a game-winning lay-up with 15.3 seconds to lift the New Orleans Privateers to a 72-68 victory over San Jose State.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @PrivateersHoops on Twitter, @PrivateersMBB on Instagram, like /PrivateersMBB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe! To make a direct impact on the student-athlete experience, visit here.
