Privateers to Host Nicholls for Senior Day Followed by Penultimate Game at Lamar

NEW ORLEANS - The University of New Orleans men's basketball program (8-18, SLC 5-10) will host Nicholls for Senior Day and the final home game of the 2022-23 season Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Privateers will conclude the week with their penultimate game at Lamar Saturday; tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

New Orleans will hold Senior Night festivities prior to Thursday's contest. Marquez Cooper, K'mani Doughty, Simeon Kirkland, and Daniel Sackey will all be honored before the game for their accomplishments at the University of New Orleans. 

Cooper started in three of the last five games and has played in 23. He had a season-high 21 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in his lone season as a Privateer. Doughty has played in 79 games and shot .854 percent from the ft-line. He had a career-high 20 points this season against IUPUI. Kirkland played 55 games, started 46, and ranks top-10 in the conference for double-doubles. Sackey started 37 of 56 games played and last year, was the first Privateer since Rarlensee Nelson in 2012 to have back-to-back games with 8 assists against Dillard.

New Orleans is in a four-way tie with UIW, Lamar, McNeese in the Southland Conference standings.

The Privateers are returning home after a two-game road sweep that includes an 84-78 win over Texas A&M-Commerce and a 68-65 upset over Northwestern State. Driving inside the paint and creating opportunities to get to the free-throw line was a strength for the Privateers as they shot 71% and 77% from the charity stripe and outrebounded both teams by two and four. Turk Vincent led New Orleans at A&M-Commerce with a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Johnson returned to the court last week and led the Privateers in the win over Northwestern State with 23 points. 

The first meeting against Nicholls saw the Privateers shoot 81 percent from the free-throw line at 27-of-33. 
 
New Orleans defeated Lamar in the first meeting by a score of 81-55. The Privateers held Lamar to less the 30 points in both halves and 28 percent from the field in the second half.

Fans are encouraged to follow @PrivateersHoops on Twitter, @PrivateersHoops on Instagram, like /PrivateersMBB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.