NEW ORLEANS, La.  –  The Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball dropped their fourth straight game as they were edged in overtime by the University of New Orleans, 81-76, Saturday night at Lakefront Arena.
 
The Lions (7-17, 5-10 Southland) got a game-high 25 points from senior Keon Clergeot, including 14-for-15 from the free throw line. The Winter Haven, Florida native also added four steals. Sophomore Nick Caldwell scored 11 points while Gus Okafor chipped in with 10.
 
The Privateers (9-14, 8-7 Southland) had four players in double figures led by Troy Green with 24 points while Derek St. Hilaire scored 19. Rodney Carson and Damion Rosser had 11 and 10 points respectively.
 
In the first half, UNO led by seven on two different occasions. But Southeastern rallied towards the end of the first half cutting the deficit to 32-29 at halftime. The Lions were 5-for-11 from the three-point line in the 20 minutes to stay within striking distance.
 
The Privateers took a 50-41 lead with 13:57 left in the game. SLU again battled back as they went on an 11-4 run capped off by a three-pointer by sophomore Byron Smith to make it 54-52 UNO.
 
New Orleans appeared to be in control leading 67-61 with possession and just 2:05 left in the game. But Caldwell drilled a three-pointer followed by a Clergeot jumper to cut it to one, 67-66. Rosser's jumper in the paint gave UNO a three-point lead but Okafor drained a game-tying three-pointer with 20 seconds sending the game to overtime tied at 69-69.
 
In overtime, Clergeot's scoop shot layup gave the Lions their first lead since the opening minutes of the ball game, 74-73, with 2:22 left in the extra frame. UNO retook the lead 79-76 with 26 seconds left but the Lions still had a chance to force double overtime.
 
However, on the following possession, SLU turned it over with just five seconds left as Green sank both free throws to clinch the win for the Privateers.
 
Southeastern finished 25-for-62 (40 percent) from the field but canned 11 three-pointers and forced UNO into 22 turnovers. But UNO outrebounded SLU 43-30, including 12 offensive rebounds which led to 14 second chance points.
 
With the loss, Southeastern will be the eighth seed in next week's Southland Conference Tournament. The Lions will take on the ninth-seed McNeese (10-13, 4-10 Southland) Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

2021 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (Seedings and Bracket)
No. 1 – Nicholls (17-6, 14-2 SLC)
No. 2 – Abilene Christian (21-4, 13-2 SLC)
No. 3 – Sam Houston (19-8, 13-3 SLC)
No. 4 – Northwestern State (10-17, 9-7 SLC)
No. 5 – New Orleans (9-14, 8-7 SLC)
No. 6 – Lamar (8-17, 6-10 SLC)
No. 7 – UIW (8-13, 5-9 SLC)
No. 8 – Southeastern Louisiana (7-17, 5-10 SLC)
No. 9 – McNeese (10-13, 4-10 SLC)
No. 10 – Houston Baptist (5-18, 4-11 SLC)
 
MEN'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

First Round – Tuesday, March 9, 2021
5:00 PM - Game 1 – No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 9 McNeese (ESPN+)
8:00 PM - Game 2 – No. 7 UIW vs. No. 10 Houston Baptist (ESPN+)
Second Round – Wednesday, March 10, 2021
5:00 PM - Game 3 - No. 5 New Orleans vs. Game 1 Winner (ESPN+)
8:00 PM - Game 4 - No. 6 Lamar vs. Game 2 Winner (ESPN+)

Second Round – Thursday, March 11, 2021
5:00 PM - Game 5 - No. 4 Northwestern State vs. Game 3 Winner (ESPN+)
8:00 PM - Game 6 - No. 3 Sam Houston vs. Game 4 Winner (ESPN+)

Semifinals – Friday, March 12, 2021
5:00 PM - Game 7 - No. 1 Nicholls vs. Game 5 Winner (ESPN+)
8:00 PM - Game 8 - No. 2 Abilene Christian vs. Game 6 Winner (ESPN+)

Championship – Saturday, March 13, 2021
8:30 PM - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (ESPN2)
 
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.