NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans Privateers (2-13, 0-4 Southland) could not overcome a balanced scoring attack from the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (10-6, 3-1 Southland) in a 97-83 loss on Monday night at the Lakefront Arena.
A competitive first half saw each team take the lead four times. Three Privateers were in double-digit scoring by halftime. After
Theo Grant split a pair of free throws,
Jah Short pulled down an offensive board and had a buzzer-beating putback, leaving New Orleans trailing by five, 49-44, at the break.
Luke Davis split a pair of free throws with 16:26 to play in the second half, getting New Orleans as close as four points. Jordan Roberts responded with a three-pointer on the other end, sparking an 18-7 run for the Islanders over the next five minutes, allowing Corpus Christi to pull away.
With 1:55 left in the game,
Theo Grant shot his 22nd and 23rd free throws, breaking UNO's 53-year-old record for individual free throw attempts in a game (21), set by John Hamilton against Georgia Southern in 1972. The Islanders were able to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the second half, eventually winning by the final margin of 14.
In his first career start, Grant led the Privateers in scoring with a career-high 25 points, including 15 from the charity stripe.
James White finished with his ninth 20-point game of the season—his fourth in the past five games—and made 10+ field goals for the second straight outing.
Dae Dae Hunter finished with 18 points, matching his career high set earlier this season at Baylor.
Luke Davis led the Privateers in rebounding with six.
Six Islanders scored in double figures, with Isaac Williams, Garry Clark, and Roberts each scoring 14. Owen Dease and Demarion Dennis added 13, and Dian Wright-Forde chipped in with 11. Corpus Christi outscored UNO 52-26 in the paint, and 39 of their points came from the bench.
Next up for the Privateers is a home contest against the Southeastern Lions (9-6, 2-1 Southland) on Saturday evening at Lakefront Arena. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m., and the game will air on
ESPN+,
Southland International outside of the United States, and locally on
The Ticket 106.1 FM.
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