Privateer athletics is back in action, with the basketball team opening the 2020-21 season in Provo against Brigham Young with a 86-61 loss, a result that apparently exorcised some demons former BYU star Michael Smith has been fighting for awhile.
UNO, facing the Cougars for the first time since defeating Smith and BYU in the NCAA Tournament in 1987, took an early 9-6 lead on a Lamont Berzat three-pointer before surrendering a 19-5 run and falling behind for good. The undersized Privateers actually got themselves to the free throw line fairly often (32 attempts), but the size advantage was still too much to overcome, with the host team owning a 46-16 advantage on points in the paint and outrebounding New Orleans 54-28.
Damion Rosser, back on the floor after suffering a season-ending foot injury last year against Xavier (LA), just missed a double-double with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Berzat added 15 points of his own, but the Privateers shot just 33.3% from the field overall.
Next up is probably Buzz Williams' Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday afternoon.
