Berzat leads 6 in double-figures as Privateers down Bears for first Southland victory

NEW ORLEANS – Lamont Berzat paced six Privateers in double figures with 18 points as New Orleans (5-10, 1-4 Southland) picked up win No. 1 in Southland play with an 86-78 victory over Central Arkansas (4-12, 3-2 Southland) Wednesday evening at Lakefront Arena.

Berzat drained three triples and went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe with clutch free throws down the stretch to clinch the win for New Orleans. He also added three steals, the highlight coming in the interior when the 5-6 (with shoes on) Berzat stripped 7-0 Hayden Koval in the second half that led to six unanswered points for the Privateers and a 10-point cushion.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans 86, Central Arkansas 78
LOCATION: Lakefront Arena – New Orleans
RECORDS: New Orleans (5-10, 1-4 Southland), Central Arkansas (4-12, 3-2 Southland)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Berzat scored a season-high 18 points in just 22 minutes of action.
All five starters reached double figures.
Raquan Brown came off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting
Ahren Freeman dished a season-high five assists
Bol Riek made his season debut in the closing minutes of the victory
The Privateers went on a 9-0 run in the first half and took a 40-37 lead into the locker room.
New Orleans began the second half with five unanswered points to force UCA to call a timeout less than two minutes into the stanza.
In the final minute, UNO went 9-of-10 from the free throw line. The club finished the game 24-of-30 from the stripe, marking the seventh time they hit 20+ free throws in a contest and fifth time in six games.
Jahmel Myers reached double figures for the second consecutive game with a career-high 17 points and three steals.
Gerrale Gates recorded 14 points, Troy Green and Brown added 12 with Green pitching in seven rebounds and seven assists and Bryson Robinson added 12 points and eight rebounds.

FOR THE FOES
Hayden Koval posted 20 points and three blocked shots
Rylan Bergersen added 20 points and Eddie Kayouloud rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.
Central Arkansas finished with 19 fast break points

NOTEWORTHY
It was the fifth time the Privateers dished 20 or more assists in a contest. UNO is 5-0 when doing so.
Robinson has reached double figures in all 15 New Orleans games.
New Orleans shot 51.9 percent from the floor; the fifth time the program surpassed the 50 percent clip this season (5-0 in such games).