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HOUSTON – HBU ended the first half on a 15-2 to run to take a halftime lead, but New Orleans had the strong finish in the second half to down the Huskies, 79-66, in Southland Conference basketball Thursday night at Sharp Gym.
 
Sophomore guard Caleb Crayton led HBU (4-15, 1-6 SLC) with 14 points and five rebounds, while sophomore forward Cody Joyce had 11 and junior center Ricmonds Vilde added nine points. Junior guard Marcel Smith added seven points and a career-high eight assists.
 
Christavious Gill scored 18 points to lead UNO (6-9, 3-4), Isaac Mack had 13, while Cory Dixon and Tevin Broyles had 10 each. Kevin Hill and Terrance Syon led the Privateers with eight boards apiece, and Broyles had seven.
 
HBU shot 51 percent for the game, 7-for-13 from long range, but only 9-of-17 from the free throw line, while UNO shot 47 percent, 5-of-12 from deep, and 20-of-25 from the line. The Privateers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Huskies 41-22, including 17 on the offensive end, which resulted in a 17-5 advantage on second chance points.
 
UNO scored the first four points of the game, but Vilde knocked down a three from the top of the key and Crayton grabbed an offensive rebound and went up-and-under for a layup to put HBU up by one. McPhearson made two free throws, but Womack came back with a free-throw line jumper. Broyles drove the right side for a layup, then Womack tied it by making one-of-two from the line. The Huskies regained the lead on a layup by Vilde, but a dunk by Syon evened it back up.
 
Smith found Crayton cutting down the baseline for a layup, but Mack cut through the defense to answer with a layup on the other end. Dixon put the Privateers ahead with a pair of free throws, then Joyce made one-of-two to get HBU within one. Gill put UNO up, 17-13, with a 3-pointer with 11:25 remaining, then Frye extended the advantage to six with two free throws. Joyce made a reverse layup and Chukwujekwu hit a long jumper, but Frye and Gill made back-to-back threes to put the Privateers ahead, 25-17, with 9:01 left.
 
Another 3-pointer by Gill and a putback by Hill pushed UNO's lead to 13 with just under five minutes on the clock. The Huskies cut the lead to 10 on a one-handed slam by Womack, but the Privateers got another putback to lead by 12. HBU went on a 10-0 run as Crayton scored five-straight on two free throws and a 3-pointer, then Smith made a long pass to Joyce flashing ahead and Crayton drilled another three to make it a two-point game. After Hill made a free throw, the Russell found Joyce for a layup to cut it to to one. Gill missed a layup with five seconds left, then Smith rushed it up court and found Lasher for a layup just before the buzzer to give the Huskies a 36-35 lead at halftime.
 
HBU shot 58 percent in the first half, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range, and 5-for-8 from the free throw line. UNO shot 36 percent, 4-of-8 from behind the arc, and 9-of-10 from the line. The Privateers outrebounded the Huskies, 20-13. Crayton led the Huskies with 12 at the break, while Gill had nine for the Privateers.
 
UNO tied it at 43 with 16:46 left, but Vilde answered quickly with a layup to regain the lead for HBU. The Privateers scored the next six on a jumper by Broyles and back-to-back jumpers by Mack, but Chukwujekwu buried a three to make it a one-point game. Mack converted a three-point play, Gill hit a short baseline jumper and McPhearson drove in for a bucket to put the Privateers ahead 57-48 with 10:51 remaining.
 
Lasher and Russell drained back-to-back threes and Chukwujekwu made one-of-two from the line to get HBU within two with 9:17 to go, but UNO got a dunk from Dixon off an offensive rebound and a free throw by Broyles to lead by five. HBU cut it to three on a layup by Joyce, but UNO went an 18-2 run that put the game away.
 
The Huskies wrap up the homestand against Southeastern Louisiana Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Sharp Gym.