Despite losing the regular season series to the Green and Gold, Privateers’ guard Jordan Johnson made sure to get his revenge by scoring 34 points in the first round of the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament to eliminate Southeastern (15-17, 10-8 SLC) 78-66 at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles. 

The University of New Orleans (10-22, 4-14 SLC) entered the SLC Tournament with only nine regular-season wins and had lost seven out of its last eight games. In the two regular-season matchups with SLU, the Privateers lost 77-67 on Feb. 24 and 73-68 on Jan. 6. 

However, tournament basketball is a completely different game. UNO and the Lions have met in the SLC Tourney four straight times, and the Privateers have come out victorious in three of those games. UNO’s ability to flip the switch has been detrimental to Southeastern over the last four seasons. 

Much like their 80-54 loss to Nicholls on March 7, the Lions started the game on the wrong side of a 7-0 run. The Privateers scored seven points in just 90 seconds to set the tone. 

SLU responded with a 13-0 push, which started and ended with points coming from sophomore forward Brody Rowbury.

Both rivals battled back and forth until UNO outscored the Lions 5-2 in the last 2:02 of the first half to take a 39-33 lead. 

Coming out of the break, the Privateers enjoyed a 15-5 run to take a commanding 54-38 lead. The Green and Gold’s comeback attempts proved to be futile, as Johnson scored 20 points in the second half to effectively end Southeastern’s season. 

Junior guard Roger McFarlane led the Lions with 18 points and eight boards, Rowbury ended the game with 13 points and seven boards, while senior guard/forward Nick Caldwell and freshman guard Kam Burton added 10 points each. 

Senior point guard Roscoe Eastmond had eight assists and broke the single-season assist record for Southeastern (209); however, his record-breaking season ended bittersweet. 

Caldwell ended the year as a member of the All-Southland First Team, and McFarlane was on the Second Team. 

The loss marked the end of the Lions’ season, a bitter disappointment after a hard-fought campaign. SLU will move forward and regroup for the 2024-2025 season. 

As for the Lady Lions, they will take on Nicholls in the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. They will play today, Tuesday, March 12, at 1:30 p.m. Tune in on ESPN+ to watch the full game. 

For more information and coverage on all sports at Southeastern, visit The Lion’s Roar.