Turk Vincent |
Vincent, who led New Orleans (10-18, 7-10) with 22 points and 8 rebounds, was helped off the court with UNO clinging to a small lead late in the game. While he was tended to, the host Cardinals took the lead and appeared ready to complete the comeback.
Vincent returned to snatch away a rebound and put UNO back in front 80-79, then cleaned up a layup miss by K'mani Doughty with a followup score to make it 82-79. One more Lamar miss and two more Privateer free throws later, UNO had its fourth win in a row in an improbable late season surge after a nine-game losing streak.
New Orleans will finish the regular season on Wednesday in Lake Charles against McNeese, and then remain there for the Southland tournament beginning March 5.