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GAME NOTES: NOLA

NEW ORLEANS - The LSU New Orleans (0-1, 0-0 Southland) men's basketball will take to the Lakefront Arena floor for the first time in purple and gold when they host the Loyola Wolfpack (4-1, 0-0 SSAC) for Homecoming on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

The Privateers are looking to bounce back from a frustrating night against LSU in the season opener. Yohandry Ortiz led the Privateers in scoring with 16 points and had five rebounds. Solomon Ominu led the team in rebounding with eight, while freshman Alan Shi pulled down five rebounds off the bench in his collegiate debut.

Saturday's meeting will be the first between the two programs since Stacy Hollowell's Wolfpack upset Mark Slessinger's Privateers 80-72 in a Homecoming exhibition game in 2021. Between 1993 and 2012, the teams met seven times, with the Privateers winning all six meetings at Lakefront Arena. Loyola's only victory in a counting game came uptown in 2012, with the Privateers amid an attempted transition to Div. II.

Hollowell led that Loyola team to the 2021-22 NAIA National Championship. Zach Wrightsil (Marquette) and Myles Burn (Ole Miss) both transferred to Div. I schools the following season. Current Privateer Chief of Staff Andrew Fava - one of the best 3-point shooters in Loyola history - played 17 minutes and scored six points while battling flu-like symptoms that Saturday afternoon.

SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
Loyola heads to the Lakefront with wins over Texas College, Louisiana Christian, SUNO and LSU Alexandria. Their only loss came in the season opener at LSU Alexandria. They are currently ranked No. 14 in the NAIA and are averaging nearly 90 points per game, with an average margin of victory of 17.2 points.

Three members of the Wolfpack average double figures in scoring. Serbian center Kosta Bjelicic is scoring 21.6 points per game and making 73.1% of his attempts. Kameron Johnson is averaging 17.6 points per game and knocking down 38.5% of his 3-point attempts. Zachary Lee is averaging 10.6 points per contest. Bjelicic leads the Wolfpack in rebounding at 9.2 per game, while Jaylen Peters checks in with 9.0 boards per game.

Loyola head coach Trey Lindsey was part of Hollowell's staff at both Loyola and during Stacy's first season on the Lakefront. He has compiled a record of 26-9 (.764) and a 14-4 (.778) record in conference play in just over a season leading the Wolfpack. He led the Wolfpack to a third-place finish in the SSAC and an NAIA tournament berth last season.

GAME COVERAGE
The game will stream live on ESPN+, and air locally on 106.1 Heaven FM. Jude Young will have the call of the game on ESPN+, while Javik Blake will make his Privateer Sports broadcasting debut on the radio.

ABOUT LSU NEW ORLEANS
In July of 2026 the University of New Orleans rejoined the LSU system and rebranded to "LSU New Orleans" bringing together two powerful brands - the purple and gold of LSU with the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans. The transition marks a return to the LSU family for the University - a place it called home from 1958-2011. Athletic teams will remain the Privateers and continue to compete in the Southland Conference.

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