The UNO men’s basketball team had no answer for Northwestern State guard Demarcus Sharp in the first half on Saturday at Lakefront Arena.
When Sharp's teammates joined the fun in the second half, the Privateers finished with no wins in a two-game homestand that could have propelled them to the top of the Southland Conference standings but sent them sliding into the bottom five instead.
Sharp scored 18 in the first half on 9-of-15 shooting, adding five steals and four assists before the break. His dominance erased an early 9-2 deficit and gave the Demons a 39-33 halftime lead, and they won going away 88-65.
Sharp did not attempt a 3-point shot, getting almost all of his 26 points on an array of old-school, fall-aways off the dribble or drives for lay-ups. When UNO (6-12, 3-4) double-teamed him, he found open cutters as Northwestern State (12-8, 4-3) won its second in a row.
“We had moments where we defended them well, but they were few and far between in the long run,” UNO coach Mark Slessinger said. “It was definitely not our best night and definitely not our best week. We’re going to have to do a lot of work to get back on track. I believe this team can do it, but we’ve got to get rolling.”
Northwestern State’s Ja’Monta Black had 18 of his 28 points in the second half, launching 16 3-pointers and hitting six. The Demons rely on their explosive backcourt combination, both of whom followed first-year coach Corey Gipson when he arrived from Missouri State, where he was an assistant.
Black drained seven 3s in an eye-opening upset of then No.-15 TCU in November. Sharp had back-to-back 30-plus-point outings in wins against former Southland power Stephen F. Austin and current Sun Belt conference-leading Southern Miss in December.
The duo accounted for 59 points in Thursday’s overtime win at Southeastern Louisiana and nearly matched that total against the Privateers, who could not keep up. Even when reserve Omarion Henry tied the score at 49 with 12:56 left, Black converted a lay-up 13 seconds later, sparking a decisive 13-3 run.
UNO, which was done in by turnovers as a 10-pont halftime lead against Texas A&M-Commerce dissolved into a 63-58 loss on Thursday, coughed up the ball on its first three possessions. The Privateers had seven turnovers by the 11:37 mark of the first half.
“We knew we had to be effective and efficient offensively, and when you turn it over that way, especially in the first half, you’re just not going to be able to close it out,” Slessinger said. “Turnovers have been our Achilles' heel. When we’ve played our worst, it’s been when we’ve turned the ball over at a high clip.”
Northwestern State had a season-low four turnovers.
The Privateers were unable to take advantage of their superiority inside. Forward Tyson Jackson picked up two fouls in the first 3:03 and sat most of the first half.
“I used him sparingly to try to keep him from getting his third, and he finishes the game with two (fouls),” Slessinger said. “You do all that in the first half to have him available, and he doesn’t get one in the second half. That’s one you go back and replay in your head as things you should do differently.
Two days after combining for 28 points and 19 rebounds, Tyson and fellow forward Simeon Kirkland were limited to 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Henry led the Privateers with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Jordan Johnson added 12 points.
UNO faces Southland co-leader Southeastern Louisiana (11-9, 5-2) in back-to-back games away and home next Thursday and Saturday.