Preview: Southern-New Orleans Knights at William Carey Crusaders

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — A surging William Carey men’s basketball team will look to continue its dominant start to the season when it hosts Southern-New Orleans in an NAIA non-conference matchup on Thursday, Dec. 18.

The Crusaders (9-1) have won four straight games since their lone loss to Loyola (La.) on Nov. 22, most recently routing Southeastern Baptist 123-72 on Monday. William Carey’s offense has been potent, averaging 86.8 points per game.

Southern-New Orleans (6-8) seeks consistency after a 2-2 stretch in its last four outings. The Knights are coming off a 71-68 home win over the University of the Virgin Islands last Friday.

A key matchup will feature two of the region’s standout forwards. The Knights are led by Dorian Booker, who is averaging a double-double over his last seven games. Booker is coming off a 23-point, 8-rebound, 3-block performance in the win over Virgin Islands and has recorded four double-doubles since Nov. 20.

William Carey counters with Arzika Seibou, who scored 22 points in just 16 minutes in the blowout win over Southeastern Baptist. Seibou provides efficient scoring off the bench for the deep Crusaders.

This game is a rematch from Nov. 6, when William Carey defeated Southern-New Orleans 83-70 in New Orleans. In that contest, the Crusaders pulled away in the second half, handing the Knights their third loss of the young season.

The Knights will need to contain a balanced William Carey attack that has seen eight different players score in double figures this season. Southern-New Orleans has relied heavily on Booker and guard Jaylon Hicks, who added 14 points in the last outing.

For William Carey, the focus will be on maintaining its defensive intensity and exploiting its depth against a Knights team playing its fourth game in 12 days.

Tip-off is set for Thursday night at Clinton Gymnasium.