Tulane University
Loyola (N.O.)
Tulane Rolls Over Loyola in Battle for Uptown
Dec 9, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2000
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior Ledaryl Billingsley (Chicago, Ill.) led Tulane University to victory in the "Battle for Uptown," defeating next-door neighbor Loyola College, 86-58, in men's basketball action on Saturday evening at Fogelman Arena.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since the 1971-72 season, when the two programs split the only two meetings in their history.
Tulane (5-3) was led by Billingsley (Chicago, Ill.), who scored a career-high 24 points and had 17 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double in the season's first eight games. Loyola had just two players over 6-3 available for the contest, while Billinglsey is 6-7 and 250 pounds.
"We wanted to make sure Ledaryl had the opportunity to play a lot," said Tulane Head Coach Shawn Finney. "He's the guy we're looking for day in and day out as our leader. He played well defensively and offensively. He's our go-to guy, no doubt about it."
Junior Linton Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds, while freshman Wayne Tinsley (Fontana, Calif.) added 13 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Brandon Brown (Houma, La.) added 18 points, while sophomore Brandon Spann (New Orleans, La.) notched a career-high 10 assists with 12 points.
"Any win is a good win, but there's always room for improvement," Finney said. "We wanted to make sure we got a lot of people playing time. We talked about maturing as a team. We came out and executed in the first half and were aggressive with the press. We didn't have the lull in the first half that we've been showing in the last couple of games."
Loyola, an NAIA school, drops to 1-12 on the season. It was the Wolfpack's fourth game this season against Division I opponents, all losses. Mack Dobey led the Wolfpack with 26 points, including five three-pointers.
While Loyola tried to make up ground from long-range, it buried 11 three-pointers (on 33 attempts) in the game, Tulane simply dominated inside. The Wave held a 51-28 advantage on the boards, including 20 offensive rebounds. Tulane shot 51.5 percent from the field, while holding Loyola to 33.3 percent.
Tulane fell behind early, 8-4, but the Green Wave overwhelmed the Wolfpack with a tenacious full-court press, scoring 12 unanswered points to take a 16-8 lead six minutes into the game. Billingsley keyed the early run, dominating in the paint and on the broads, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in the first six minutes of the game.
"Coach told us to look inside," said Brandon Brown. "We knew that L.D. [Billingsley] and I had a lot of height and strength advantage. They came out and they hustled. Sometimes we don't match the other team's intensity, but the crowd came out and gave us a boost tonight."
Loyola battled back with strong three-point shooting, but the inside game of the Wave was too much as Tulane built the first-half advantage to as many as 19. At the break, the Wave held a 45-32 advantage.
The second half was more of Tulane's power inside. Billingsley continued to dominate, while Spann directed the offense to perfection. The lead grew to as many as 32 in the second half.
Tulane will take a break for final exams before returning to action on Dec. 21 with a non-league contest at the University of New Orleans at Lakefront Arena. The Green Wave has top-notch holiday action as well. Tulane meets national power Florida on Dec. 28 at the New Orleans Arena as part of the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic Doubleheader. The Green Wave and Gators tip off at 7 p.m., followed by LSU vs. Oregon State.
[For more information, contact Associate Media Relations Director John Sudsbury at 504-865-5506.]
