NEW ORLEANS – Troy Green had 26 points and Derek St. Hilaire added 23 as the New Orleans Privateers knocked off the Southland preseason favorite Nicholls Colonels 78-66 on Saturday evening at the Lakefront Arena.
The tandem scored 20-plus in the same game for the second time in careers. They also accomplished the feat against the Colonels on Feb. 27, 2021.
Daniel Sackey played 34 minutes and ran the offense efficiently with eight assists on the night. The total was one shy of his career-high which was in 2019 against High Point. The mark tied a season-high as well, which he had against Dillard.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Green also led the team in rebounding with nine boards on the game. He also made 15 free throws, eclipsing his previous career high of 11 (at Memphis in Dec. 2019).
Tyson Jackson had eight points and four rebounds in 29 minutes. New Orleans had 30 free throw attempts to just 10 for Nicholls. The Privateers also shut down the three-point line as Nicholls went just 5-for-24 from long range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
New Orleans wasted little time getting out to a lead as they built a 16-9 advantage in the first five minutes of action. St. Hilaire had eight of those points to help get the offense rolling.
Though the Colonels drew close, they only grabbed the lead once for the remainder of the game when Manny Littles scored on a layup to make the score 29-28 at the 3:55 mark. The Privateers responded with a 9-3 run to end the half.
FROM COACH SLESSINGER
“We’re so grateful for everybody coming out and supporting us today. It was an incredible job by our team and they put so much work and preparation. I thought it was a great team win across the board.”
“Nicholls is a good basketball team with so many offensive weapons and experience. We knew we had to play our best today and we did. I thought every single person that came in gave us a huge lift forward.”
“We put a lot on Daniel’s shoulders and we have a lot of expectations for him. His voice continues to grow and he continues to get more and more mature.”
NEXT UP
The Privateers will host Southeastern on Thursday, Jan. 20. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, @PrivateersMBB on Instagram, like /PrivateersMBB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube.
{Press release courtesy of UNO Athletics}