Sharp shooting Pilots end Privateers’ season in The Basketball Classic

PORTLAND – The University of New Orleans (18-14, 10-4 Southland) season came to in the Rose City as the University of Portland (18-14, 7-7 West Coast Conference) defeated the Privateers 94-73 on Saturday night at the Chiles Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Derek St. Hilaire hit an NBA-range three from the left side early in the contest, but it was the Portland Pilots who blistered the nets from three-point range in the first half. The Pilots sank 10-of-19 triples in the opening frame on their way to a 56-30 halftime lead.

Down in the first half by as much as 30 points, St. Hilaire hit a three, Jahmel Myers scored in the lane, and St. Hilaire hit a baseline jumper in the Privateers’ best sequence of the first half cutting the Pilot advantage to 39-21 after a 7-0 run.

Troy Green was relentless during the second half of the final game of his career shooting 4-of-4 and connecting on his sole free throw of the half before fouling out for the third time this season. Green finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting with five rebounds.

With the game seemingly out of reach halfway through the second half, Coach Slessinger went with youth down the stretch. Jamond Vincent finished with six points on 3-of-6 shooting and pulled down six rebounds in 13 minutes of action after coming into the contest averaging 5.7 minutes a game.

Portland finished the game 32-of-64 from the field – 50%, They were just one of just nine teams to make double-digit three-pointers against the top-25 ranked Privateer three-point defense this season.

INSIDE THE BOX
– Troy Green finished the night with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with five rebounds after fouling out with 7:20 to play in the game.
– Green finishes his career with 1,824 points, 530 free throws made, 193 steals, and 385 assists in 150 games as a Privateer. Those totals rank third, second, second, fifth, and first in school history.
– Derek St. Hilaire finished his final game with 14 points, and three made three-pointers.
– Portland’s 16 three-pointers match the most made ever by a Privateer opponent (Troy, 2007). 

NEXT UP
New Orleans concludes its season with an 18-14 record with a third-place finish (10-4) in the Southland and its fourth postseason tournament appearance in the last six seasons. Stay tuned to UNOPrivateers.com and our social media accounts for more information on next season. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
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