Katy, Tx. — The University of New Orleans men’s basketball team lives to play another day, after Bryson Robinson hit the game-winning three-pointer with 23 seconds to play, lifting the Privateers to the 76-72 win over Lamar in the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament.
UNO led by as many as 14 in the first half, but the Cardinals closed the gap to make it a 2-point game at the half, trailing the Privateers 42-40 heading into the locker room. It was back and forth down the stretch, with Scott Plaisance, Jr. hitting a shot in the paint with about a minute to play that put UNO out front 71-70. Lamar responded right after to jump back out front 72-71 with 50 seconds to play. Then on the ensuing UNO possession, Robinson pulled-up and drained a contested three with under 30 seconds to play, which ended-up being the game winner. A pair of free throws from Damion Rosser sealed it for the Privateers, who now improve to (18-12, 12-6 SLC).
Robinson led UNO with 17 points, while Plaisance added 16 points and 7 rebounds. Jorge Rosa finished with 13 points. For Lamar, Nick Garth dropped 28 points to lead all scorers.
The 4th-seeded Privateers will now face top-seeded Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference semifinals on Friday at 5:00 p.m. CT. If the Privateers get past the Bearkats, they’d advance to the championship game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. CT.
