KATY, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball team's season came to an end as they fell to the University of New Orleans, 80-63, Wednesday night in the second round of the 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at the Merrell Center.
 
The Lions (8-18) were led by senior Keon Clergeot who finished with 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The UMass transfer also was 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Sophomore Isiah Kirby added 10 points.
 
The Privateers (10-14) had five players score in double figures led by Derek St. Hilaire with 20 points. Damion Rosser scored 15 while Troy Green had 11. Rodney Carson and Ahren Freeman each had 10 points to add to the UNO attack.
 
SLU never led as they got behind early 17-6 and trailed early in the second half, 41-22. The Lions, as has been the case all year, refused to quit as they cut the UNO advantage to 13, 49-36.
 
But the Privateers were red hot from the field as they shot 69 percent (15-for-22) in the second half. UNO kept a double-digit advantage the rest of the way and led by as many as 24 points to pull away for the win.
 
"Obviously not the way we wanted to finish the season," said second-year SLU head coach David Kiefer. "I thought it ended a little prematurely. We just didn't have as much ball movement tonight as we did the last time we played them (UNO). I thought we got caught ball watching a little bit on both ends and we couldn't overcome it. But I really enjoyed every second of coaching this team, it just didn't end the way we would have hoped."
 
SLU finished the game 21-for-56 (38 percent) from the field while UNO was 27-for-45 for 60 percent. The Lions had troubles from the three-point line as they made just three of 24 beyond the arc while the Privateers were 6-for-15.
 
While the season comes to an end, the Lions gained valuable experience throughout the season. SLU opened the year on a nine-game road trip as they didn't see the friendly confines of the University Center until Jan. 6.
 
During league play, SLU played had seven games decided by six points or less in which they went 3-4. Southeastern was also 0-3 in overtime games.  
 
The future appears to be bright for the Lions as they are not anticipated to lose anyone from this year's team. The 2021-22 season could be one to remember for SLU men's basketball and their fan base.
 
SLU 63 (8-18)
Caldwell 3-5, 2-2 8, Okafor 2-9, 2-3 7, Kirby 4-5, 2-2 10, Clergeot 8-16, 6-7 22, Warren 2-11, 2-2 6, Ifejeh 0-2, 4-4 4, Smith 0-4, 0-0 0, Kemp 1-1, 0-2 3, Romanov 0-0, 0-0 0, Strange 0-0, 0-0 0, Brackmann 0-0, 0-0 0, Howell 1-2, 0-0 3
Totals 21-56, 18-22 63
 
UNO 80 (10-14)
Bell 1-1, 0-0 2, Rosser 6-10, 3-5 15, Green 3-5, 5-6 11, St. Hilaire 5-10, 6-7 20, Carson 4-6, 1-2 10, Berzat 0-1, 2-2 2, Freeman 4-5, 2-2 10, Myers 2-2, 0-0 4, Doughty 2-3, 0-0 5, Rodgers 0-0, 0-0 0, Bohannon 0-0, 1-2 1, Marshall 0-0, 0-0 0, Tong 0-1, 0-0 0, Holmes 0-0, 0-0 0
Totals 27-45, 20-26 71
 
Halftime – UNO 38, SLU 22 3-point goals – SLU 3-24 (Okafor 1-6, Kemp 1-1, Howell 1-2, Clergeot 0-3, Caldwell 0-2, Kirby 0-1 Warren 0-6, ) UNO 6-15 (St. Hilarie 4-6, Carson 1-2, Doughty 1-2, Carson 1-2, Rosser 0-2, Green 0-1, Tong 0-1). Technical Fouls SLU None. MCN – None. Fouled Out – SLU - None. McNeese – None.  Rebounds – UNO 32, SLU 28 (UNO – Green, Rosser 8), (SLU – Ifejeh 8) Assists – SLU 8 (Kirby, Clergeot, Warren 2), UNO 10 (Rosser, Green, St. Hilaire, Berzat 2). Total Fouls – SLU 22, UNO 18
 
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.  All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2020-21 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
 
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