New Year's in New Orleans

Game #12: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-4) at New Orleans (6-6, 1-0)
Date: Saturday, December 31
Location: Lakefront Arena • 4:15 p.m.
Watch: UNO Livestream
Audio: Islanders Digital Network

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In the first Southland Conference action of the season for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Islanders head to the Big Easy for a New Year's Eve showdown with New Orleans.
 
The Islanders head into the Southland season standing 7-4 overall after a strong non-conference slate. The Blue and Green is looking to make it four consecutive seasons with 13 or more wins in the Southland.
 
Saturday presents a stiff test out of the gate in conference play as a much-improved New Orleans squad enters with a Southland win already under its belt. The Privateers were 75-66 victors over Abilene Christian in league-opening action on Thursday night.
 
ISLANDERS INSIGHT
 
• Rashawn Thomas has scored double-digits in each of the Islanders' 11 games. Thomas is second in the conference averaging 17.6 points per game.
• Thomas passed former great Chris Daniels for the all-time record in blocks. He now has 173 in his career.
• Guard Ehab Amin leads the nation lead with 3.5 steals per game. He has six games with four or more steals this season.
 
SERIES SNEAK PEEK
 
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Orleans are meeting for the ninth time on the hardwood.
• The Islanders have won each of the past five meetings with the Privateers, all coming in the past two seasons.
• New Orleans' last win came on January 25, 2014, in a 70-62 game in Corpus Christi.
• Five of the last six meetings have been decided by single digits, the lone exception being a 97-76 Islander win last year.
 
SCOUTING NEW ORLEANS
 
• At 6-6, the Privateers hold marquee non-conference wins over Tulane and Washington State.
• Erik Thomas has paced the Privateers averaging 20.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg.  Thomas leads the Southland in scoring.
• Thomas ranks 14th in the nation in field goal percentage and 26th in offensive rebounds.
• Christavious Gill (12.6 ppg) and Nate Frye (10.0 ppg) also average double figures.
 
NICHOLLS NEXT
 
The Islanders conclude the four-game road swing by heading just south to Nicholls for a Monday night matchup with the Colonels. Tip-off in Thibodaux is set for 7 p.m.