Katy, Tx. — The University of New Orleans lost to Abilene Christian 77-60 in the Southland Conference Championship game Saturday night, falling just short of earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Privateers trailed by 11 at the half and continued to trail by double digits after the break, in their second meeting of the season with the Wildcats. ACU won the first match-up during the regular season too in their conference opener, 68-58.
Bryson Robinson led the Privateers with 14 points in the loss, while Scott Plaisance Jr. added 13 points and 8 rebounds. They were the only two UNO players to score in double figures, in a game where the Privateers turned the ball over 20 times and only shot 40.4% from the floor (21-52 FG).
By winning the Southland Conference Tournament Title, Abilene Christian, which was formerly a Division II program, earned their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. They were led in scoring by senior forward Jaren Lewis, who had a game-high 20 points. Jaylen Franklin added 16 for the Wildcats in the win.
This was the second time in the last three seasons that UNO (19-13, 12-6 SLC) has appeared in the conference tournament championship game. The Privateers have won 6 of their last 9 games and now await their opponent in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). UNO will host a first-round game Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Lakefront Arena.
