The New Orleans Privateers men’s basketball team is set to face two Southland Conference opponents in the coming days. On Saturday, they will host Nicholls, who currently lead the conference, at Lakefront Arena. Following that game, the Privateers will travel to Hammond for a matchup against Southeastern on Monday night.
The Privateers (5-10 overall, 3-3 in conference) recently evened their conference record after an 83-73 victory over East Texas A&M on January 5. In that game, MJ Thomas recorded a career-high 19 rebounds and helped secure the win by making free throws late in the contest. The team made all ten of their free throw attempts in the final minute.
New Orleans has shown improvement in ball control by reducing turnovers. Over their last four games, they have averaged 11.5 turnovers per game compared to 15.4 during their first eleven games this season. The win against East Texas A&M marked the fourth time this year that New Orleans committed ten or fewer turnovers in a single game.
Thomas has achieved double-doubles in consecutive games, becoming the first Privateer this season to do so. He now has three double-doubles this season and nine for his career with New Orleans. Since league play began, Thomas is tied for first place in rebounds per game at 9.5 alongside Braden East from Lamar.
Irish Coquia and Jamal Chretien both made their first starts as Privateers during Monday’s win over East Texas A&M. They combined for 47 minutes on the court and contributed thirteen points while committing just one turnover between them. With these starts, they became the ninth and tenth different players to start a game for New Orleans this season.
In historical matchups, Nicholls holds a narrow advantage over New Orleans with a 22-21 record in their all-time series. Against Southeastern, New Orleans leads the series 18-16.
Nicholls (7-6 overall, 6-0 conference) has managed to avoid defeat narrowly on several occasions this season; three of their last four wins have been decided by five points or fewer, including a recent 74-72 victory over Northwestern State. Jalik Dunkley is both the Colonels’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and was named Southland Player of the Week.
Southeastern (5-10 overall, 2-4 conference) recently defeated Lamar by a score of 60-52 on Monday night. Jeremy Elyzee leads Southeastern in scoring with an average of 11.7 points per game—ranking twentieth in the Southland Conference—while Isaiah Gaines averages 5.5 rebounds per game, placing him tenth among conference players heading into Saturday’s contests.
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