SUNO Men’s Basketball Dominates Stillman to Close HBCUAC Crossover

NEW ORLEANS [December 17, 2024] -- The Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Men's Basketball team closed out the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Crossover tournament Monday night with a dominating 70-58 victory over Stillman College, the No. 1 team in the conference, snapping their seven-game win streak and giving the Tigers their first conference loss. The Knights went 3-0 in the Crossover, defeating Talladega 87-77, Oakwood 94-79, and Stillman.

 

"I'm so proud of my team," said SUNO Head Coach James A. Matthews, III. "At the beginning of the year we played some tough teams, we've been on the road a lot, and we've dealt with some injuries. I put them through a lot and it tested them. But you see the results in a game like [Stillman]. A game where we didn't really shoot it well, but we defended and we were able to do all the things that make us successful."

 

The Knights picked up against Stillman where they left off against Oakwood – frustrating their opponent and forcing errors. The Knights got on the board quickly when transfer guard Tyon Thompson picked the pocket of Stillman's Brenden Lankford-Johnson and converted the steal into a quick two points. Calvin Finch, Jr. tied the game 2-2 on a made jumper, but that would be the only tie of the game. With 17:19 to play in the first half, freshman guard Donte Briggs hit a jumper to give SUNO a 4-2 edge, a lead they never gave up.

 

SUNO led by as much as nine points in the first half, taking a 33-26 lead into the locker room at the half. The Knights extended their lead to 11 points when Thompson hit another jump shot with 16:11 to play, and from there, SUNO's defensive pressure stifled the Tigers'  attempts at a comeback. Jamal Gibson's presence in the paint proved too much for the Tigers' power players as he grabbed 27 rebounds on the night, 19 of which came on the defensive side. Known for their bullish style of play, the Tigers were shut down and forced to play at a pace that made them uncomfortable and caused them to turn the ball over. Helping keep the Tigers at bay was the Knights limiting their own turnovers, committing a season-low 10 turnovers.

 

"Big-time players made big-time plays," said Matthews. "They kept their focus. They stayed together, and this was the result. An improvement in our free-throw shooting and turnovers has led to the success we're having. These guys made up in their mind they were going to improve, and players like [Jamal] and Isaiah Lewis put in the work to make those improvements.