NEW ORLEANS – Houston Christian (11-13, 8-4 Southland) knocked down nine 3-pointers in the first half on its way to an 81-68 victory over the University of New Orleans (4-20, 2-11 Southland) on Saturday afternoon at Sharp Gym.
After an
MJ Thomas jumper tied the game at 10, HCU used a 14-3 run over the next 5:24 to gain early separation. During the run, HCU knocked down five of its seven shots, including three of five from beyond the arc. New Orleans responded with a quick 5-0 spurt, capped by a
Kohen Rowbatham 3-pointer, to force an HCU timeout with the score 24-18 and 8:24 left in the first half.
Another big run by the Huskies, 13-2 over the next 2:40, sealed the game. The Huskies made four of seven shots during the stretch, including three more 3-pointers. UNO wasn't able to attempt a shot and turned the ball over four times. HCU took a 42-31 lead into halftime.
New Orleans cut the deficit to nine three times in the second half. Thomas knocked down a pair of free throws early in the period to make it 42-33. A steal and breakaway layup by
Grant Kemp trimmed it to 54-45 with 11:25 remaining.
Theo Grant converted an and-one layup and free throw with 7:40 left, cutting it to 65-56. Each time, HCU responded with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to stifle UNO's momentum before pulling away for a 13-point victory.
Thomas recorded his third career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rowbatham added 13 points—his fifth career double-digit scoring outing and third in a row.
Leland Coleman finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while Grant added 11 points.
The Privateers shot 52.2% from the field compared to the Huskies' 46.8%. New Orleans won the rebounding battle for just the fifth time this season, 31-27, and dominated HCU in the paint, 42-24. HCU's 17 made 3-pointers were the most by a Privateers opponent since Portland hit 18 in 2022.
Julian Mackey led HCU with 27 points, while Bryson Dawkins finished with 22. The duo combined to go 8-of-19 from 3-point range.
Next up for the Privateers is a trip to Incarnate Word (11-12, 4-8 Southland) on Monday night. Tipoff from the McDermott Center is set for 6:30 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN+ and The Ticket 106.1 FM. The Cardinals defeated the Privateers 74-58 at Lakefront Arena on Jan. 27.
BLUES ON TUES. NEWSLETTER
To keep up with all athletics news at the University of New Orleans, subscribe
here for our weekly newsletter.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Keep up to date with everything New Orleans Privateers Men's Basketball. Follow @PrivateersHoops on both
Twitter/X, and
Instagram, like /
PrivateersHoops on Facebook and subscribe to
UNOPrivateers on YouTube.
