NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Revenge is a dish best served at the Lakefront Arena as the New Orleans Privateers defeated the UIW Cardinals 84-57 in a rematch game a week after UIW handed the Privateers their first conference loss.
The win ties head coach Mark Slessinger with Ron Greene for first on the program’s wins list with 146. The first opportunity to break that tie will come next Saturday against McNeese.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Four Privateers landed in double figures for the night. Troy Green led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Tyson Jackson poured in 16 points in 24 minutes on 6-of-7 from the field. Simeon Kirkland had 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists along with four steals. Derek St. Hilaire scored 11 points and had four assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Privateers wasted no time jumping out to a lead as they started the game by outscoring the Cardinals 12-6 through the first five minutes. It set the stage for a New Orleans squad that led for over 37 minutes of game time and only trailed once when the score was 6-4 at the 18:15 mark of the first half.
New Orleans was superb from the field, shooting just shy of 55 percent while their defense was just as solid. UIW was held to just 30 percent from the field on the evening. It was the second-lowest field goal percentage allowed by the Privateers this season.
At one point of the first half, New Orleans held the Cardinals without a point for over six minutes. In that stretch, the Privateers commenced an 11-0 run to grow their lead to 27-14. New Orleans never looked back from there. Coach Sless’ squad also limited the turnovers to nearly none in the second half and only committed seven on the game.
FROM COACH SLESS
“It was such a fun day and a great team effort across the board. The presence our forwards brought from the start was incredible and they had great attention to detail. Our guys defended at a really high level and played with a ton of passion.”
“Derek has put together some great dunks. The only ones I ever did like that were on nerf goals but what he does is amazing and highlight level stuff.”
“It’s beyond humbling and the Lord has blessed me. I don’t have very eloquent things to say because I’m blown away to be mentioned in the same breath as Ron Greene. I’m very thankful for the staff and players.”
NEXT UP
The Privateers will face McNeese on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.
{Press release courtesy of UNO Athletics}