Shorthanded Privateers Battle Hard Before Falling in Hammond

HAMMOND - Despite a valiant effort, a shorthanded University of New Orleans (4-18, 2-9 Southland) was unable to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit at the University Center, eventually falling to Southeastern (13-9, 7-4 Southland) 76-68 on Saturday afternoon.

At the break, the Privateers trailed 45-37 following a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Jakevion Buckley that hit every part of the rim and backboard before falling in. The first half saw four early lead changes and five ties.

With the score tied at 15, Southeastern went on a 13-2 run, appearing to pull away from the Privateers. Big first-half buckets from MJ Thomas and Kohen Rowbatham kept the scrappy Privateers close. Each finished with 11 points in the first half on a combined 9-of-15 shooting.

The Privateers continued to battle in the second half. Each time the Lions pushed their lead to seven or eight points, New Orleans would cut it back down to five.

Kyle Edison made his third triple of the game off the bench, extending Southeastern's lead to 60-53 with just over nine minutes remaining. Kohen Rowbatham knocked down a three-pointer with 7:24 to play, cutting the Lion lead to four at 62-58. A free throw from Grant Kemp got it as close as three points at the 7:00 mark before the Lions slowly pulled away.

Thomas recorded the second double-double of his young career, finishing with a career-high 22 points to go with 10 rebounds. Rowbatham added 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Leland Coleman set a career-high with six points in his first career start.

All seven Privateers who saw action scored, and UNO held the Lions to just 24-of-59 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-29 in the second half. Southeastern made 20-of-22 free throws compared to 13-of-24 for UNO. The Lions' lead reached double digits for the first time with just under 54 seconds to play.

Three Lions finished in double-digit scoring, with Sam Hines Jr. leading the way with 17 points. Buckley finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Edison added 11 points off the bench and was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range.

New Orleans returns to action Monday night when they host Stephen F. Austin. Tipoff at Lakefront Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+ and locally on The Ticket 106.1 FM.

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