HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team will attempt to finish a regular season sweep of its rivals from the Crescent City as the Lions prepare for the return meeting from the New Orleans Privateers for a 3:30 p.m. contest Saturday in the Pride Roofing University Center, which is sponsored by the North Oaks Health System, where admission is free.
 
Saturday's game between Southeastern (13-14, 8-6 SLC) and New Orleans (8-19, 3-11 SLC) will be live streamed on ESPN+ while a radio broadcast also available, thanks to the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, on 90.9 FM The Lion in the Hammond/Ponchatoula area, worldwide at LionSports.net/ListenLive and LionUpRadio.org, or on smart devices on the Lions Gameday Experience app, the TuneIn Radio app, or the MyTuner Radio app. Live stats will also be available at LionSports.net.
 
The Lions are looking to officially lock in its spot in the 2024 Southland Conference Championship Tournament, which it can do with a win or a loss by Incarnate Word, while rebounding from a 77-72 overtime loss to Lamar on Monday night which ended SLU's season-best six-game win streak.
 
Nick Caldwell became the first Lion in two years to score 30 points in a game, hitting that mark exactly on Monday night while his 12 rebounds gave him his third-straight double-double, and third double-double of the season. Both are season highs for the senior from Prairieville who has won two-straight SLC Player of the Week honors while also currently holding the titles of Louisiana's Player of the Week from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and one of the Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He also had two assists, two blocks, and two steals against the Cardinals.
 
Roscoe Eastmond had his best scoring day of the season on Monday, putting up 17 points against the Cardinals on Monday, which is the most the senior guard has scored since the game where he established his current career-high of 20 points in a game against William Carey last season. Eastmond hit 50% of his shots from the field and from above the three-point arc on Monday while continuing his run at the SLU single-season assists record, dishing out seven helpers against Lamar.
 
Caldwell's big night against Lamar now has him more firmly locked in as Southeastern's leading scorer, now averaging 15.8 points per game while hitting 55.6% from the field and 42.4% from deep. He also grabs 5.6 rebounds a game and leads the team in blocks, averaging one rejection of an opposing shot per game.
 
Roger McFarlane will be trying to rebound from a rough outing on Monday, which saw his run of 35-straight games with a made field goal come to an end. McFarlane averages 14.6 points per game on the season while hitting 41% from the field and 34.2% from three. He still holds the team-lead in rebounding, grabbing 8.3 boards each time out.
 
Eastmond continues to lead the Southland in assists, averaging 6.4 dimes a contest. His 174 assists this season is the third-most in a single-season in SLU program history, currently 14 behind Leo McClure's 188 from the 1976-77 season which sits as the second-most for SLU in a season. The current SLU single season assists record is held by Marlian Veal, who dished out 207 assists during the 2017-18 season.
 
The Lions enter the weekend averaging 69.3 points per game this season while hitting 43.6% from the field and 34.9% on shot attempts from three-point range as a team this season. SLU's opponents score 70.7 points per game while hitting 43.3% from the field and 32.8% from three this year.
 
After falling in its SLC opener to the Lions, 73-68, back on Jan. 6^th, New Orleans rallied to win the next two games, including an upset victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. However, the Privateers have struggled since that game, dropping 10 of its last 11 contests which includes four-straight defeats heading into Saturday's contest.
 
In its last contest, an 89-77 home loss to Nicholls on Monday, Carlos Hart came off the bench to lead UNO in scoring with 20 points as he hit eight of his 20 shot attempts while grabbing seven rebounds, came up with three steals, dished out an assist, and blocked a Colonels shot.
 
Jah Short and Jordan Johnson both finished the contest with 13 points each as they were the lone two starters to score in double figures. Short filled out his stat sheet with five steals, three rebounds, two assists, and a block. Johnson, whose 40-point performance led the aforementioned upset against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, finished the contest against Nicholls with three rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two steals.
 
Mason Jones rounded out the leading scorers from Monday's game as he put in 10 points against the Colonels, hitting five of his seven shot attempts to go with a rebound and an assist.
 
Johnson is UNO's leading scorer on the season, averaging 21.2 points per game on 39.3% shooting and 36.3% from three-point range. He also leads the Privateers in assists and steals, averaging four assists and 1.6 steals a game.
 
Khaleb Wilson-Rouse is the only other UNO player averaging double digit scoring this season, averaging 11 points while hitting 41.9% from the field and 33.7% from three on the season
 
Jamond Vincent and Tyson Jackson are the Privateers' top rebounders this year, grabbing 5.7 and 5.2 boards per game, respectively while scoring 8.3 and 9.1 points per game, respectively, as well. Vincent did not appear in either of UNO's last two contests.
 
New Orleans averages 74.9 points per game, connecting on 42.3% of shot attempts and 32.4% from deep as a team this season. Privateer opponents average 80.5 points per game, scoring on 47.4% attempts from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc this season.
 
UNO leads the all-time series against SLU, 19-13, but the Lions have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams, including this season's earlier meeting. Southeastern and New Orleans have ended up seeing each other in all of the last three Southland Conference Championship Tournaments, with the Privateers taking two of those postseason meetings, including last season's match-up in Lake Charles.
 
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. 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.