Tulane University
Rice
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Tulane Explodes Down the Stretch to Defeat Rice, 70-53
Jan 28, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2006
HOUSTON, Texas - It was a team effort for the Green Wave on Saturday evening at Autry Court, primarily team defense. Tulane held Rice to just one field goal over the last five minutes of their Conference USA men's basketball game as the Green Wave pulled away for a 70-53 victory.
Tulane (6-12, 2-4 C-USA) fell behind 47-44 with 5:12 remaining after Rice's Lorenzo Williams scored on back-to-back three-point plays. But then Ryan Williams took over. The freshman keyed a 26-6 run to close the game as the Green Wave pulled away for its first road victory since defeating Houston at the buzzer last season.
"We haven't won in a while on the road," Tulane coach Dave Dickerson said. "The players did a great job. At this point of the season, some teams may give up, but we stepped up. It was a great college basketball game; both teams played very hard, but how about our team defense?"
Tulane held Rice (9-10, 3-4 C-USA) to 32.7 percent (16-of-49) shooting, including one-for-eight over the final five minutes of the contest. Morris Almond, the Owls' leading scorer who had 33 points against Tulane in their first meeting earlier this month, was two-of-nine from the field, finishing with seven points. Almond, who won the last game between these two teams with a running buzzer beater, entered the contest averaging 27.8 points per game in C-USA outings.
After Rice went on top behind their own Williams (game-high 25 points), Tulane's Williams scored on a runner to pull the Wave within one. A Rice miss was followed by a baseline jumper from Vytas Tatarunas and then Williams nailed consecutive floaters in the lane and the Green Wave found itself with a 52-47 advantage with 1:48 to go.
Donnie Stith knocked down a pair of free throws - Tulane nailed nine of its last 10 free throws in the game - and then Stith rebounded an Owl miss and found Tatarunas for a fast-break lay-up to push the margin to nine at 56-47 with 1:16 to go.
A pair of Chris Moore free throws offset two foul shots by Rice's Williams, then Ryan Williams hit a free throw, but missed the second. However, Quincy Davis nearly tipped in the missed foul shot and his miss was followed successfully by Tatarunas and the score was 61-49.
Rice hit its first field goal in nearly five minutes with 32 seconds to go, but the Wave cleaned up from the line.
"We played team defense and hit free throws which is what you need to do to win on the road," Dickerson said. "A lot of guys played well. Ryan grew up a lot this game and Vytas had a big game also. It is great to see those two step up because we need them in order to be successful."
Williams finished with a career-high 14 points to go with a game-high five assists. Tatarunas added 13 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field, including a highlight reel slam dunk in the final seconds to cap the victory. Davis had 14 points and nine rebounds while David Gomez scored 11 points. It was just the second time this season the Wave had four players in double figures. Moore added nine points, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the line.
"I made a couple of freshman mistakes which helped them get back in the game," Tulane's Williams said. "But Coach Dickerson had confidence in me and kept the ball in my hands. Our team captain [Chris Moore] told us we need calm heads and we did what we needed to do."
In Tulane's last game, Houston knocked down 14-of-26 three-pointers, however, on Saturday, the Wave defense held Rice 0-for-12 from downtown. It was the first time since Jan. 13, 2001 (USF went 0-for-9) that Tulane held its opponent without a three.
"We got away from our defensive principles against Houston," Dickerson said. "But we went back to basic principles and played great help defense tonight."
While Tulane's defense was superb throughout, its offense was also solid as the Green Wave shot 55.0 percent (22-of-40) from the field, including 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) from the line. The Wave also held a 35-27 advantage on the glass.
Tulane had used a 9-0 run early in the second half to build a 32-23 advantage, but Rice stayed tough and created a 9-1 run of its own to tie the game at 39 with 7:28 to go. The teams traded baskets, but Lorenzo Williams had the back-to-back driving baskets plus free throws to give Rice its biggest lead of the second half at 47-44.
In the first half, Rice took a 15-6 lead with 12:40 to go, but the Wave defense kicked in. Tulane held the Owls to just one field goal the rest of the half as it used a 17-6 run to take a 23-21 lead at the break.
The Green Wave returns to Fogelman Arena next week to tip-off a three-game home stand. The Wave hosts SMU on Wednesday evening, followed by Marshall on Saturday and then next-door-neighbor Loyola on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Tickets are available by calling 504-247-1240 or 247-1241, online at TulaneGreenWave.com, or by visiting the Tulane Box Office, now located at Fogelman Arena.
