NEW ORLEANS – It wasn't easy, but the University of New Orleans men's basketball team (1-2) held off a late rally from the Lindenwood Lions (1- 2), giving
Stacy Hollowell his first victory as a Division I head coach, 82-74, on Saturday afternoon at the Urban-Bennett MTE.
Coming out of the halftime break with a seven-point lead, 38-31, New Orleans caught fire in the second half.
James White knocked down a three-pointer with 14:53 remaining, sparking a 19-0 Privateer run. The run was capped by a steal and windmill dunk from
Jah Short, giving the Privateers a 23-point lead with 11:28 left in the contest. During the run, Short had three steals that led to breakaway dunks.
The Lions, however, wouldn't quit and held the Privateers scoreless for over eight minutes the rest of the way, pulling within two when Jordan Wily made a pair of free throws with 4:06 remaining.
Dae Dae Hunter and Anias Futrell traded two more layups, leaving the Privateers ahead by just a single basket with 2:54 to play.
Free throws down the stretch from Hunter,
MJ Thomas,
JR Jacobs, and White were enough to seal the win, giving New Orleans its first victory of the season.
After shooting 44% in the first half, New Orleans came out hot in the second half, hitting 52% of its attempts. The Privateers won the rebounding battle for the first time this season, 40-37, and outscored the Lions in fast-break points, 16-4. UNO never trailed in the contest, and the game was only tied a handful of times.
White led the Privateers with 20 points—his second straight game of 20 or more—and 11 rebounds. It was the second double-double of his collegiate career, dating back to his double-double against South Carolina in the 2023 SEC Tournament.
Short finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. Thomas, making his first career start, contributed 13 points, five rebounds, one block, and two steals in 18 minutes of action.
JR Jacobs scored 10 points and added six assists.
Jadis Jones finished with 14 points and nine rebounds for Lindenwood, while Anias Futrell scored 13 and grabbed eight rebounds. Clayton Jackson led the Lions with 15 points.
New Orleans can't celebrate for long, with just a 24-hour turnaround before returning to action against Stonehill tomorrow. The game will air on ESPN+ and
The Ticket 106.1 FM, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. Privateer fans can also follow @PrivateerHoops on
X/Twitter for updates throughout the afternoon.
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