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Game Notes
San Antonio, Texas. – UIW men's basketball will look to reach .500 in Southland Conference action, but faces a stiff test in New Orleans, which is 3-0 in conference action. The two teams tip off on Saturday at 3 p.m. from the McDermott Convocation Center.
OPENING TIP
UIW leads the all-time series with UNO, 3-0, having won twice in the Pelican State, including last season's 71-68 victory last January at Lakefront Arena. The Pelicans came to the Convo on Jan. 12, 2015 and fell to the Cardinals, 97-66.
SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS
2016-17 Record: 8-6 (3-0 SLC)
Last Game: W 66-62 (ot) at Lamar (1/5)
Head Coach: Mark Slessinger (6th season)
Key Players:
#14 Erik Thomas – 19.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 25 asts, 23 stls, 60.6 FG%
#3 Nate Frye – 12.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 21 asts
#25 Travin Thibodeaux – 8.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 50 asts, 9 blks
Summary: New Orleans is off to its best conference start since joining the Southland Conference in 2013-14. The Privateers won their fourth-straight game with a 66-62 win at Lamar on Thursday, the second-straight overtime game, as UNO defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road, 73-72, on Dec. 31.
Erik Thomas leads the Southland Conference with 19.8 points per game, which ranks him T-50th nationally. He also leads the SLC with a 60.6 field-goal percentage (103-for-170). Thomas' 8.2 rebounds per game is good for third in the conference. Travin Thibodaux is eighth with 3.6 assists per game, while Makur Puou is sixth with 1.4 blocks per contest. As a team, UNO is sixth in the SLC in scoring margin (-0.9) and are shooting 46.1 percent from the floor (3rd in the SLC) while holding opponents to 44.8 shooting (7th).
THE CARDINAL FILE
2016-17 Record: 6-8 (1-2 SLC)
Last Game: W 84-80 vs. Northwestern State (1/5)
Head Coach: Ken Burmeister (11th season)
Key Players:
#41
Shawn Johnson – 16.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 26 asts, 18 blks, 23 stls
#1
Jalin Hart – 14.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 64 asts, 27 stls
#10
Tyler Singleton – 10.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 30 asts
Summary: UIW improved to 6-1 at home as the Cardinals snapped a five-game losing streak with a hard-fought 84-80 victory over Northwestern State on Thursday, as both
Jalin Hart and
Jorden Kite scored a team-high 15 points. The Cardinals scored 51 points in the second half, tying a season high (St. Edward's).
Shawn Johnson leads UIW in points (16.4), rebounding (7.7), three-pointers made (37), and three-point field goal percentage (45.7). Comparing the rest of the conference, Johnson is seventh in points, fourth in rebounding, eighth in threes made, and second in long range percentage. Hart is fourth in the SLC with a 50.7 field-goal percentage, third in assists (4.6 per game), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), and fifth in steals (1.9 per game).
Devin Wyatt is third in the SLC and T-26th nationally with 2.4 blocked shots per game. As a team, UIW is 10th with a -2.7 scoring margin. The Cardinals are shooting 44.9 percent from the floor (7th in the SLC) and holding opponents to 44.5 percent shooting (6th).
UP NEXT
UIW plays at Lamar on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on Spectrum Sports Texas, Channel 323 in San Antonio. Outside of the Alamo City, the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
STAY TUNED
The Cardinals return home to host Houston Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.
