Stephen F. Austin
8-8, 1-3SLC
New Orleans
9-7, 4-1SLC
Harris Posts Double-Double, Bogues Goes for 20 in Southland Clash at New Orleans
1/16/2019 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Comeaux adds 12 for SFA in third consecutive Southland setback
NEW ORLEANS - John Comeaux connected on a game-tying three-pointer with 2:53 left, but it represented the final time the ball would go through the basket for the SFA men's basketball team as New Orleans ended the game on a 7-0 run to claim a 68-61 Southland Conference victory over the 'Jacks Wednesday night at Lakefront Arena.
Comeaux finished with 12 points on the night while senior guard Shannon Bogues poured in a game-high 20. Junior Kevon Harris turned in his third double-double effort of the season, finishing with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
FIRST HALF
• Almost everything went right for the visitors through the first 11:30 of Wednesday's Southland showdown.
• Through that span, the 'Jacks netted 17 of the 21 total points in the game and jumped out to a 17-4 lead. Six players scored points through that sizable run, none more than Nathan Bain who hammered home a pair of fast-break dunks. Davonte Fitzgerald added a pair of baseline hook shots and Jovan Grujic finished the surge with a layup.
• New Orleans, conversely, couldn't buy a basket through that stretch. The Privateers started the game shooting just 1-of-12 (8.3-percent) from the field which allowed the 'Jacks to obtain their 13-point edge.
• Unfortunately, the Privateers did discover their shooting touch. Beginning with a three-point make by Ezekiel Charles, the hosts took off on a 16-5 run in which four different players drilled long balls.
• That run spanned 4:28 and after Bryson Robinson's downtown make SFA's lead was down to 22-20.
• SFA managed to maintain the lead or keep things tied until Troy Green sank a three-pointer with 27 seconds left in the frame that gave the home team its first lead of the game, 29-28.
• The Privateers shot .348/.455/.571 in the frame and went 5-of-11 from three-point land to get in front before the halftime horn sounded. New Orleans also finished plus-five (8-3) in free throws made and plus-10 (14-4) in free throws attempted in the opening half of play.
• Bogues finished with 10 of the 'Jacks' 28 first-half points while Harris grabbed eight of the team's 14 rebounds.
SECOND HALF
• New Orleans saw its strong end to the first half carry over into the deciding frame by scoring seven of the frame's first nine points. Damion Rosser capped that 7-2 run with a three-point play that put the 'Jacks in a 37-30 hole with 17:46 left.
• The Privateers' largest lead of the game came when Green's mid-range jumper with 12:58 to go put the home team aheads 47-39. After that, Bogues led the 'Jacks back to within striking distance.
• Through a 12-4 run, the senior scored eight of the 'Jacks' points including a pair of three-pointers. Bogues' second long ball during that run knotted matters at 51-all with 9:00 left.
• Regrettably, New Orleans answered with a 7-2 run to go back up 58-53 with 5:11 left. Larry Robinson split a pair of free throws to end the run.
• Samuli Nieminen tied things at 58-58 with his lone three-pointer of the game before Comeaux's game-tying trey with 2:53 fell through the net. SFA went 0-for-7 from the field through the final 2:08, too.
• Through the second half, SFA shot .290/.385/.769 while the Privateers flipped the script from their first set. New Orleans put up a shooting split of .556/.429/.667 in the frame to earn the come-from-behind victory.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Bogues extended his streak of 10+ point games to 17 in a row with his 20-point effort. That matches Thomas Walkup's run of double-digit scoring games that took place at the end of the 2014-15 season and carried over into the 2015-16 campaign.
• SFA committed 22 turnovers which turned into 21 New Orleans points. The Privateers also owned a 26-14 edge in bench scoring to claim their second win in the last three meetings against the 'Jacks.
• Green finished with a team-high 15 points for New Orleans while Charles added 12. Gerrale Gates posted 11 points and a game-high four of the Privateers' 15 assists.
• SFA out-rebounded New Orleans 42-30.
• SFA has now lost three consecutive Southland Conference games for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
COMING UP NEXT
• SFA heads to the Alamo City for a Saturday afternoon showdown with Southland Conference foe Incarnate Word. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. from the McDermott Convocation Center and the game will be carried nationwide on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
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