UNO falls at Ole Miss in season-opener, 82-61

OXFORD, Miss. – The New Orleans men’s basketball program played a strong opening half and benefited from a game-high 21 points from graduate point guard Derek St. Hilaire, but Ole Miss was too much to overcome in a 82-61 defeat in a non-conference contest to open the season at The Pavillion on Tuesday night.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: New Orleans – 61, Ole Miss – 82
LOCATION: The Pavilion – Oxford, Mississippi
RECORDS: New Orleans 0-1 (0-0 Southland), Ole Miss 1-0 (0-0 SEC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– St. Hilaire led the way for the Privateers with 21 points in 27 minutes of play. He went 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc as he added two assists, two boards and two steals.
– Tyson Jackson was a force inside as he pulled in a game-high seven rebounds. He also added six points and an assist.
– Both De’Sean Allen-Eikens and Robby Robinson pulled down five boards apiece. Allen-Eikens chipped in four points and two helpers while Robinson added an additional two points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe to go with a game-high two blocks.
– Kmani Doughty had an efficient evening off the bench as he was able to record nine points (on 3-of-4 from the field), three steals, two assists and two boards in just 17 minutes of play.
– Daniel Sackey also excelled as he contributed seven points, two assists and two boards.
– New Orleans got 28 points off the bench to go with 30 points in the paint.
– Nine Privateers scored a basket in this one.
– UNO had 10 student-athletes make their New Orleans debut tonight; Jackson, Allen-Eikens, Robinson, Sackey, Kmani Doughty, Simeon Kirkland, Jamond Vincent, D’Ante Bell, Norris Williams and Darrius Washington.

HOW IT HAPPENED
– The Privateers played a strong start to the opening half as UNO scored first and held a 12-11 lead with 14:29 left in the opening frame.
– New Orleans extended the lead to six at 17-11 nine minutes into the contest. Ole Miss was able to tie the game at 17 with 9:10 to go, as the teams continued to trade baskets. The Privateers took their last lead of the game as they went up 19-17 with 8:44 left in the first.
– Over the last 8:22 of the half, Ole Miss outscored UNO by a 26-12 margin to take a 43-31 lead into the half.
– New Orleans had strong start to the second half as well, but the Rebels rode hot outside shooting and opportunistic defense to the 21-point margin.

NEXT UP
The Privateers return to the friendly confines of the iconic UNO Lakefront Arena for another non-conference contest, this time against Spring Hill, set for Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3 PM CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+ and will be aired at NASH ICON 106.1. The Voice of the Privateers, Jude Young, will be joined by analyst and former UNO head coach Tic Price.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, @PrivateersMBB on Instagram, like /PrivateersMBB on Facebook and subscribe to the PrivateerAthletics YouTube channel.