Privateers complete 17-point second half comeback in victory over HBU

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans (17-11, 10-3 Southland) upperclassmen stepped up again as the Privateers completed a 17-point second-half comeback over HBU (9-17, 5-8 Southland) 75-74 on a wild night in front of a crowd of 1,002.

HOW IT HAPPENED

HBU knocked down seven of their first 14 three-point attempts in the first half on their way to a 41-31 halftime lead. Brycen Long, averaging 10.3 points per game coming into the contest, finished with 17-points to lead HBU and knocked down four first-half triples to help the Huskies to their halftime lead.

With Derek St. Hilaire struggling from the floor, Troy Green stepped up to keep the Privateers in the game – scoring 16 first-half points, including a pair of free throws as the first half, ended keeping New Orleans within 10. HBU outshot UNO 50% to 38.2% and made five three-pointers to UNO’s one in the first half.

Things went from bad to worse after Sam Hoffman buried a three-pointer with 15:14 left to go in the game giving HBU their largest lead at 53-36. With things seeming bleak New Orleans would not quit.

All season the Privateers have relied on upperclassman Green and St. Hilaire to shoulder most of the offensive load in crucial moments, but tonight on his birthday junior Jahmel Myers stepped up when it mattered most. With five minutes remaining the Cape Coral native flushed home a fast-break dunk to tie the score at 65. Coming out of the time out, it was Myers again driving and scoring to give the Privateers a 67-65 lead with 4:16 to play in the contest – their first lead since 2-0 about 90 seconds into the game.

Following a pair of free throws and bucket by St. Hilaire that made the score 75-71 UNO with 1:14 left, Hoffman hit a three-pointer from straight away cutting the UNO advantage to just a single point with under a minute to play. St. Hilaire missed a close range shot on the other end giving the Huskies a chance for a game winning shot. Darius Lee, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for HBU, couldn’t decide between a pass or shot and threw the ball away as time expired, capping an incredible second half in the Privateers’ home finale.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Green finished with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting.
– Green passed Gabe Corchiani for second all-time at UNO with his 179th career steal – he now trails Bo McCalebb who had 250 swipes as a Privateer.
– Myers scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes of action on his birthday.
– St. Hilaire finished with 16 points on 5-of-21 shooting but went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line with four rebounds and two assists, including a dime on the Myers layup that made the score 67-65.
– The Privateers out rebounded HBU 38-27 with 14 offensive rebounds leading to a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points. It was the most offensive rebounds by the Privateers since their trip to Utah State in December.

NEXT UP
The Privateers head to Thibodaux to take on Nicholls with the Southland Conference regular-season championship on the line. If New Orleans wins, they will be Southland Champions and the No. 1 seed in next week’s Southland Conference Tournament. If Nicholls wins, the Privateers will fall to the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. Fans can catch the game on ESPN+, or listen to Jude Young describe the action on NASH 106.1 FM. Tipoff is set for 3:30.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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