Tulane University
East Carolina
East Carolina Snaps Tulane's Three-Game Winning Streak
Feb 18, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2004
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Tulane University had its three-game winning streak snapped by East Carolina on Wednesday evening as the Green Wave fell, 76-66, to the Pirates in Conference USA men's basketball action.
Tulane (10-12, 3-8 C-USA) played catch-up basketball all night, but could never pull ahead as East Carolina committed just seven turnovers in the game and connected on 19-of-25 second-half free throws.
The Green Wave had its final opportunity to take charge when a putback by Marcus Kinzer and a pair of free throws from Ben Benfield pulled the Wave within three at 62-59 with 4:29 to go.
However, East Carolina (10-12, 2-10) went to red-hot Belton Rivers (10 second-half points) and he was fouled on a three-pointer and buried all three foul shots with 4:02 to go. The Wave then committed a crucial turnover and ECU came back for a turnaround jumper from Moussa Badiane to make it 67-59 with 3:30 to go.
That was the final field goal for the Pirates, who connected on 9-of-12 foul shots over the final three minutes as Tulane scrambled to no avail.
"We did some good things; we out-rebounded them and we matched their shots," Tulane coach Shawn Finney said. "But we turned the ball over too much [15 times] and they only had seven. That was the difference in the game."
Benfield led Tulane with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while Kinzer added 14 points and a team-high six assists. Quincy Davis added 11 points and six rebounds while Vytas Tatarunas hit double figures with 10 points to go with six boards.
"Ben and Vy really gave us a spark off the bench," Finney said. "We were a step slow all night but those guys gave us some offensive off the bench and brought us back in the game."
Tulane fell behind by as many as 14 in the first half, trailing 31-17, 36-22 and 38-24; the final time with 2:42 to go. However, Davis hit a pair of free throws to open an 11-0 run. A Chris Moore three-pointer and a pair of treys from Kinzer, the final on a runner at the buzzer, brought Tulane within three at the break, 38-35.
In the second half, ECU increased its advantage to seven with 15:52 to go at 48-41, but a Tinsley reverse layup and threes from Benfield and Tatarunas knotted the game at 49 with 11:35 to go. The Pirates pushed it back to three, but then Benfield struck again, burying another three to tie the contest at 52 with 10:05 to go.
However, no matter how hard they fought, the Green Wave could not take the lead.
East Carolina had entered the game 0-5 at home in league play, however, four of the losses had been by six or fewer points as the Pirates have proven to be one of the tougher road games in the league.
The Pirates were led by 22 points from Derrick Wiley, while Rivers had 16 points. Mike Cook had 14 points and six assists while Erroyl Bing posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Badiane scored just nine points but was a major factor with six blocked shots.
"East Carolina played very well," Finney said. "Bing was tough inside and Cook did a great job running things. But Badiane really affected us. Our guys were looking over their shoulder for him all game."
Tulane shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field against a tough ECU man-to-man defense which has held opponents below 40 percent on the year. The Pirates shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the floor. The Green Wave held a 41-36 advantage on the glass, but hit just 10-of-19 free throws (52.6 percent).
The Green Wave returns to action on Saturday at noon, playing at Marquette University in Milwaukee. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional and will be aired in the New Orleans area on Cox Sports TV (Ch. 37). Tulane returns home on Wednesday evening, hosting UAB at 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena. Tickets are available by calling 504-861-WAVE.
