Ward's 18 points leads Dillard Bleu Devils past SUNO for 10th win of the season



Jesse Ward finished with a career-high 18 points in the win over SUNO.
Courtesy: J. Williams

NEW ORLEANS -- Dillard enjoyed a 12-point halftime lead en route to a 70 to 60 victory over the Southern University at New Orleans Knights at the Battlefield in Dent Hall. The win marked the tenth victory of the season and second straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference win for the Bleu Devils.

Dillard's Jesse Ward (SO/Maringouin, La.) finished with a game-high 18 points, nailing all eight of his free throws and hitting 2-of-4 from behind the arc. Ward also pulled down five boards and had two steals in 31 minutes of action and has been flourishing for the Bleu Devils as of late.

Dillard (10-6, 2-1 GCAC) controlled the game by dominating the glass with a total of 44 rebounds to just 28 for SUNO, and the Bleu Devils had as many offensive rebounds (19) as SUNO had defensively (19).

SUNO struggled from the line and only made a total of five free throws all night while Dillard scored 25 points from the charity stripe.

Last season's GCAC Freshman of the Year Patrick Thompson (SO/Geismar, La.) posted his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 boards and Kristian Clark (JR/Ocean Springs, Miss.) chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for Dillard.

The Knights (5-8, 0-2) were led by Dominique Suggs who finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting while former Bleu Devil Junaid Olusesi finished with 10 points, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the field.

Dillard continues GCAC action on Saturday, January 23 as they host the nation's eighth-ranked team in Talladega College. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.

COURTESY DILLARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION