The University of New Orleans Privateers were sent sailing back to the Big Easy Thursday after the BG men’s basketball team won 87-56.

Seniors A’uston Calhoun and Jordon Crawford led the Falcons with 16 points each, and 11 BG players scored at least three points against the Privateers.

“I think we came out, played strong defense,” senior Cameron Black said. “One of the things we’ve been working on in the second half is trying to come out in those first three or four minutes and get stops, and I think today [coach Louis Orr] said we got four stops in a row.”

The Falcons started the game off with a 7-2 run, but the Privateers would answer with its own four-point run to cut the lead to one.

Sophomore Chauncey Orr responded with a three-point play, pulling the Falcons away for the remainder of the game.

While the Falcons missed its next three shots over the next minute and a half, Orr would put the Falcons back on track with a lay-up to put BG up 14-8.

Eight of the 10 BG players appearing in the first half scored at least two points. The Falcons finished with a 12-to-4 run, which consisted of 10 points from Crawford.

The Falcons’ 17-point lead at halftime marked the best of the season.

BG kept up momentum after the break as well, starting the second half with an eight-point run. However, the run ended at 17:11 with the help of a pair of free throws from New Orleans senior Rarlensee Nelson.

After a New Orleans two-point jumper from Cook at 16:46, the Falcons went on another eight-point run, which boosted their lead to 31 points.

Over the next 10 minutes, the Falcons consistently held a lead of at least 30 points.

BG led by 39 points with three minutes to play, which marked the largest lead of the game and the team’s biggest lead of the season against any team.

During the second half, every eligible player saw playing time and 11 of the 12 players made a basket.

Freshman Spencer Parker recorded a career-high 7 points against the Privateers.

“When they played Butler, they played Mississippi State, they played some good teams all over the country,” coach Louis Orr said. “So, I thought our defense and our approach on the offensive end was a big, big plus.”

The Falcons’ next game will be Saturday at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and will mark the last non-conference game of the season.