NEW ORLEANS – A steal on an inbounds play and a dunk on the other from
KC Ugwuakazi emphasized a 15-point second-half comeback for the East Texas A&M University men's basketball, who beat the New Orleans Privateers, 73-71, at Lakefront Arena.
The Lions trailed by 15 with 14:57 left in the game and by 10 with 3:20 left, but scored the final 12 points of the game, taking their first lead of the second half with 21 seconds left on the steal and dunk from Ugwuakazi (Boston, Mass.).
KC UGWUAKAZI GAME-WINNING DUNK HIGHLIGHT
The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Lions, who are now 4-25 on the season and 2-16 in Southland Conference play, as are the Privateers, and the two teams went 1-1 against each other as well this season.
Monday was the first road win of the season in the Lions' final road game of the season, avoiding the first season without a road win since 1992-93.
Despite the Lions scoring the first five points of the game, the Privateers scored the next six. East Texas A&M used a 9-3 run to pull ahead 17-11 at the 12:31 mark of the first half, which was the largest lead of the game for the Lions.
The Privateers held the Lions to just five points over the next six minutes, while building 28-22 lead and did not trail again in the game until the dunk from Ugwuakazi. In the final four minutes of the first half, the Lions outscored the Privateers, 7-4 to trail 38-34 at the half.
The second half started with the Privateers scoring the first eight points, to build a 46-34 lead for New Orleans, who took its largest lead of the game of 15 points at the 14:57 mark of the second half, 52-37. The Lions then scored 19 of the next 23, including a 11-0 run, and tied the game at 56 on a three-pointer from
Yusef Salih (Gainesville, Va.)
YUSEF SALIH THREE-POINTER HIGHLIGHT
New Orleans held the Lions to three points the next five minutes, while scoring 12 themselves to go up 68-59 with five minutes left and had a 71-61 lead with 3:20 to play, but the Lions did not allow another point in the game.
TJ Thomas (Memphis, Tenn.) totaled 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals for the Lions, while Ugwuakazi added 11 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Khaliq Abdul-Mateen (Cy-Lakes) scored 10.
For the Privateers, MJ Thomas had 16 points and 18 rebounds, helping the Privateers outrebound the Lions, 50-31.
POST GAME INTERVIEW
UP NEXT
The Lions host UIW and HCU to close out the season, welcoming the Cardinals for Senior Day on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
-ETAMU-
