SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The New Orleans Privateers rallied from a couple of double-digit deficits but ultimately fell short as they lost 75-65 to the UIW Cardinals on Monday night at the McDermott Center.
UIW led by just three points at the start of the second half but went on a 13-3 run to begin the second 20 minutes to build a 13-point lead with 17:17 left. The Privateers kept coming back though behind a resolute performance in the paint.
The Privateers came charging back again though as they cut the lead to just one point with 5:16 remaining. They did the same on an
MJ Thomas dunk with 4:59 left to put the score at 65-64 in favor of UIW.
From there, the Cardinals were able to steadily pull away over the final minutes of the contest. New Orleans had five missed free throws in that stretch while UIW went a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to close the door.
Davion Bailey started things off for the Cardinals with hot shooting from long distance as he racked up nine quick points on three triples in the first four minutes to help UIW build a 13-6 lead by the first media timeout.
Both teams came out hot with the Cardinals relying on mid-range and perimeter shooting while the Privateers leaned on attacking the rim with consistency. Both teams combined to connect on 17-of-27 field goals in the first nine minutes of action. Of the Privateers' first 18 points in that stretch, 12 were in the paint. The Cardinals scored 24 points in that span, with eight coming in the paint.
The Cardinals built a 15-point lead, but the Privateers nearly erased that entire advantage in the last five minutes of the first half. After a Dylan Hayman driving layup made the UIW lead 35-20, the Cardinals finished the half by hitting just 1-of-7 shots. Meanwhile, Thomas caught fire, scoring 10 points to lead a Privateer charge that got them to within three points at the half.
New Orleans dominated the paint as they outscored UIW 46-22 in that department. They also held a 34-31 edge on the glass. UIW countered with perimeter shooting as they drilled 11 three-pointers to the Privateers' one. New Orleans shot 51 percent from the field for the game.
Bailey scored 25 points and Hayman added 22 to lead the scoring column for the Cardinals. Bailey made six of the Cardinals' three-pointers on the night.
INSIDE THE BOX
Thomas finished with the most points by a Privateer this season and a new career-high 32, smashing his previous high of 22 at Southeastern. He also added 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
Kohen Rowbatham scored 14 points on 6-of-11 from the field.
Leland Coleman finished with eight points, six rebounds and three blocks.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will host McNeese on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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