01/14/06–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JAGUARS HOLD OFF NEW ORLEANS' COMBACK BID FOR
60-57 VICTORY
CONTACT:
Kit Strief
Box
Score
NEW
ORLEANS - The University of South Alabama men’s
basketball team held off a furious second half comeback by New Orleans
for a 60-57 victory on Saturday night. With the win, USA improves
to 12-3 overall, and 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. New Orleans
falls to 5-10 and 2-2 in conference play. Jaguar sophomore Demetric
Bennett scored a team-high 14 points off the bench and senior Michael
Phillips had 12 points off the bench.
The game began
as the teams exchanged buckets for the first three minutes. UNO
held a 5-4 lead on a jumper by Jacob Manning at the 16:48 mark,
but USA proceeded to go on a 22-4 run over the next 7:45 to take
a 26-9 lead at the 9:15 mark.
A pair of free
throws by Ernest Daney got the Privateers into double-figures at
the 7:58 mark. A jumper by Phillips put the lead to 17 points before
UNO finished the half on a 10-2 run to the cut the deficit to 30-21.
The Jaguars
shot 44.4 percent for the half on 12-of-27 from the floor. USA was
3-of-9 from beyond the arc and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. UNO
was just 7-of-29 from the field for 24.1 percent and were 2-of-11
from beyond the arc. The Privateers were 5-of-6 from the line. Bennett
had eight of his 14 points in the first half on 3-of-4 from the
field and one 3-pointer. Phillips had six points on 2-of-4 from
the field and 2-of-2 from the line. UNO’s Jamie McNeilly had
six points on 3-of-10 from the floor.
UNO had the
advantage on the boards, 20-17 in the opening half.
UNO opened the
first nine minutes of the half on a 16-9 run to cut the deficit
to 39-37 capitalized on a layup by James Parlow with 11:19 remaining.
A key jumper to quiet the crowd of 483 by Phillips to put the Jaguars
up four points moments later. UNO had the answer as Parlow knocked
down another jumper to cut it back to two and Daney put the Privateers’
ahead with the hoop and the harm at the 10:10 mark.
A trey by junior
Stephen Cowherd put the Jags up four at the 8:48 mark and built
the lead back to nine on a trey by senior Jeffrey Collins and a
bucket by Bennett with 7:03 remaining.
A dunk by Wayne
Williams and two free throws by Nathanial Parker capitalized a 5-0
run to cut a 10-point deficit in half for UNO. USA had the answer
with a key three pointer by senior Richard Law to go back up eight
points with 4:29 left.
USA went up
10 points on a jumper by Phillips, but UNO had one final run in
it as the Privateers went on a 9-0 run over the next 2:45 to cut
the deficit to one point with 41 seconds left.
UNO fouled three
times to get into the one-and-one situation. UNO fouled Bennett
for the seventh foul of the half. After a timeout, Bennett came
out and calmly knocked down two free throws putting USA up three
with 20 seconds left.
Williams had
two great looks at the game tying 3-pointer, including an offensive
rebound, but was unable to knock it down as time expired, 60-57.
The Jaguars
shot 46.2 percent for the game on 24-of-52 from the field. USA was
7-of-17 from beyond the arc ad a perfect 5-of-5 from the line. UNO
shot 60 percent in the second half to up its percentage to 40.7
for the game on 22-of-54. The Privateers were four-of-18 from beyond
the arc and 9-of-10 from the line. Williams had a game-high 19 points
on 7-of-19 from the field and Parlow had 12 points. UNO won the
battle of the boards 31-29.
USA’s
bench outscored UNO 39-9.
The Jaguars
return home to face Middle Tennessee on Thursday, Jan. 19 and Western
Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 21.
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