Men's Basketball To Host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi On Saturday

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NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's basketball team will look to maintain its hot play of late and open 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 2006-07 season when the Privateers play host to Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon in Lakefront Arena.

The game is the second half of a UNO doubleheaders as the women's team will take on the Islanders at 2 p.m. with the men's contest tentatively slated to begin at 4:15 p.m. New Orleans has never opened league play 2-0 since joining the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 campaign, but in a season of renaissance the Privateers do have history on their side as UNO has accomplished the feat on 12 previous occasions.

"It would be huge and be a big step for us," UNO head coach Mark Slessinger said of the possibility of opening league play 2-0. "Obviously, we have a tough road swing coming up with Lamar and Incarnate Word next week. If we can wrap this conference-opening homestand up 2-0 it would be a great step for us in reaching the goals we've set for ourselves."

The Privateers enter the weekend 6-6 on the year, 1-0 in Southland Conference play and looking to build on the momentum of a two-game winning streak after defeating Williams Baptist, 91-74, on Dec. 21 and rallying from a 10-point deficit to down Abilene Christian, 75-66, in the league opener on Thursday night.

As a team, New Orleans is averaging 73.6 points, 36.7 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.8 blocks per game. Senior forward Erik Thomas leads the Privateers offensively with 20.8 points per game, followed by senior guards Christavious Gill with an average of 12.2 and Nate Frye with a mark of 10.0. Thomas also paces the team with 8.1 rebounds a night with junior forward Travin Thibodeaux leading the squad with 3.4 assists per game. Gill headlines the defense with 1.8 steals per outing and junior forward Makur Puou has a team-best 1.3 blocked shots per contest.

New Orleans is connecting at a .467 clip from the field, hitting 320-of-685 shots from the floor and 54-of-169 tries from beyond the 3-point arc (.320), while allowing opponents to shoot .447 overall (316-of-707) and .328 from 3-point land (84-of-256). Privateer foes are averaging 75.0 points, 33.5 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 8.5 steals and 3.4 blocks so far in 2016-17.

"We're maturing offensively," Slessinger said. "We're making some strides. When teams have different attacks on us defensively, we're learning how to make reads and adjustments and get the shots that we want. We've got to continue to cut down on turnovers to be efficient and take the great shot in each possession, not just a good shot. I think we'll continue to play well if we can do those two things."

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which will be playing its first conference contest on Saturday, comes to town 7-4 on the season and looking to snap a two-game skid after dropping a 67-46 decision at No. 19 Saint Mary's on Dec. 20 and falling 92-70 at Oklahoma State on Dec. 22.

As a team, the Islanders are averaging 77.7 points, 35.6 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 9.5 steals and 5.0 blocks per game. Rashawn Thomas leads four Texas A&M-Corpus Christi players averaging double-figure scoring totals with a 17.6 point-per-game average while Ehab Amin, Joseph Kilgore and Cole Martinez follow with respective scoring marks of 16.2, 11.9 and 10.5. Thomas also leads the way in rebounding and blocks with 8.4 boards and 2.3 swats per game, and shares team-high assist honors with Kilgore at 2.8 dimes per game apiece. Amin paces the defense with 3.5 steals per outing.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is hitting 47.1 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 306-of-650 field goal attempts, including a 48-of-154 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.312). The Islander defense has allowed opponents to post a 43.5 shooting percentage (290-of-667) and a 36.4 clip from 3-point land (102-of-280) and their foes are averaging 75.7 points, 37.6 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.

"Corpus is very good," Slessinger added. "They've been one of the top three or four teams in our league for the past few years. They've got a really good team led by an all-league forward who might be a candidate for Player of the Year in Rashawn Thomas. He can score a lot of ways and he's really made some big improvements in his game.

"He's expanded his game and his ability to score from the perimeter since last year. Amin is a very talented guard. They've got a veteran group. Their guys understand their system and understand what they're trying to do in scoring. We're going to have to have another great effort to get a win."

Saturday's game between New Orleans and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi marks the 14th meeting between the two teams on the hardwood and the Islanders hold a slight 7-6 advantage in the all-time series. Since the Privateers joined the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 season, UNO is 1-5 in head-to-head meetings with A&M-Corpus Christi.

Home court advantage has played a major role in the series to date as UNO is 4-2 against the Islanders in New Orleans while the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is 4-2 when playing in the "Sparkling City By the Sea." The Privateers are 0-1 against the Islanders in neutral site games.

Following the Saturday's game, the Privateers will hit the road for games at Lamar and Incarnate word on Jan. 5 and 7, respectively, before returning to Lakefront Arena on Thursday, Jan. 12, to face Sam Houston State. For tickets that game, Saturday's doubleheader or future Privateer Athletics events, contact the UNO Athletics Ticket Office over the phone at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or via the Internet by clicking HERE.