St. Hilaire scores 25 as Privateers fall again on road

NEW ORLEANS – Derek St. Hilaire scored 25 points once again, while Troy Green added another 18 but it wasn’t enough as the University of New Orleans (16-11, 9-3 Southland) dropped its second straight contest 87-77 to Northwestern State (9-21, 5-8 Southland) on Saturday afternoon in Natchitoches.

UNO remains tied for first place in the Southland Conference with Nicholls after the Colonels were also beaten Saturday in Hammond at the buzzer by Southeastern.

HOW IT HAPPENED
For the second straight game, early turnovers proved costly for New Orleans. UNO coughed the ball up 10 times in the first half, allowing Northwestern State to take a 38-28 lead with eight seconds remaining in the first half. Derek St. Hilaire’s layup, and ensuing free throw cut the Demon advantage to seven going into the break.

A pair of three-point shots and a jumper by St. Hilaire trimmed the Demon advantage to three with 15:22 to play in the second half. Northwestern State responded extending the lead back to 13 following a three-pointer by Jovan Zelenbaba with 11:24 left in the contest. Another bucket by St. Hilaire, sandwiched between a pair of fast-break layups by Rodney Carson Jr. kept the Privateers in striking range at 62-57 with 9:29 to play.

Following a split pair of free throws by LaTerrance Reed, Green knocked down a jumper making it a single possession game at 63-61 with just over eight minutes to play, but the Privateers went cold from the floor down the stretch as the Demons finished the game with a 10-point victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– St. Hilaire scored 25 points or more for the 6th time this season while pulling down a season-high seven rounds.
– Green finished with 18 points and a pair of steals – moving him past Gabe Corchiani for the second-most steals in school history with 179. Bo McCalebb had 250 in his career.
– The Privateers turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 23 Demon points.
– The Demons bench outscored the Privateers 31-22.

NEXT UP
The Privateers return to Lakefront Arena for their home finale against HBU at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+, and “Voice of the Privateers” Jude Young and former UNO head coach Tic Price will describe all the action on NASH 106.1 FM.

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