Cowboys face 0-4 SLC start, UNO presents tall challenge in paint
Raymond Partsch III, Special to the American Press
Despite an 0-3 start in Southland Conference play, McNeese State men’s basketball head coach Heath Schroyer said he believes his team will soon be playing its best basketball.
“We are fighting and working on tweaking a few things,” Schroyer said. “I like this group a lot. The key is to play your best basketball at the end of the year, and I am confident that we will do that.”
McNeese (6-6, 0-3 SLC) plays at New Orleans (2-9, 1-2) with tip-off at 6 p.m. today.
McNeese is coming off an 83-61 loss at Incarnate Word, a game in which the Cardinals made 16 3-pointers and shot 57.7 percent from the field.
“They really stretched us out and put us in rotation,” Schroyer said of the Cardinals. “It was one of those nights. (Godsgift Ezedinma) averaged three points per game and went out there and scored 18. It was just one of those nights.”
McNeese will turn its attention to a UNO team that plays well in the paint. The Privateers are averaging 68 points per game, and 33.7 rebounds per game and are led by guards Troy Green (15.9 points) and Damion Rosser (15.4 ppg).
“Their guards are big, athletic and physical,” Schroyer said. “They are very physical and really play in the paint. I would say 82 or 83 percent of their points as a team comes from the paint and free throw line. You’ve got to do a good job of rebounding the basketball.”
McNeese will look to win that matchup on the glass with 6-foot-9 KeyShawn Feazell leading the way with a team-high 14.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.
The Cowboys also have three other players averaging double-figure scoring in Dru Kuxhausen (12.6 ppg), A.J. Lawson (11.5) and Collin Warren (10.4).
McNeese will be going up against a UNO team that is forcing 15.7 turnovers per game.
“They really play tenacious defense and play extremely hard,” Schroyer said. “Defensively they are good as Stephen F. Austin at causing turnovers.”
For a third consecutive game, McNeese will be without starter Chris Orlina due to a broken hand. Bench player Ra’Shawn Langston is also sidelined with an injury.
McNeese, which is winless in four road games, has lost nine of the previous 11 meetings against the Privateers. Schroyer said the Cowboys will need to play their best game to date to leave New Orleans with a victory and end a five-game SLC losing streak.
“I think we have to go down with the right mentality,” Schroyer said. “We’ve got to take care of the basketball. We are going to have to do a really good job of controlling the ball and make shots at a higher rate than what we are doing right now.”