Tulane University
New Orleans
Late Free Throws Lift Green Wave Over UNO
Dec 14, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2010
Box Score | Box Score in PDF Format 
NEW ORLEANS - A pair of free throws off the hands of sophomores Kendall Timmons and Jordan Callahan with less than 0:16 left in the game secured a 57-53 victory at the University of New Orleans on Tuesday night at Lakefront Arena.
Timmons, who led Tulane (6-2) with 15 points, broke a 51-51 tie with two free throws with 1:09 remaining, and then, along with Callahan helped secure the victory with two more with 0:16 remaining. Callahan, who ended the game with 12 points, knocked his shots down with 0:08 remaining after UNO (4-3) made a lay-up to cut the deficit back to two.
"I'm proud of both of those guys," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "Kendall bounced back and hit his shots down the stretch and Jordan stepped up and hit his as well. They took on the pressure and that is what you have to do in close ball games."
UNO jumped out of the gate early and led 14-3 after a 3-pointer by Ryan Kinsley with 13:50 remaining in the first half. Tulane then used a 7-0 run, sparked by five points by Timmons and a lay-up by Aaron Holmes, to get back in the game.
Holmes finished the game with 12 points off the bench for the Green Wave.
Tulane was able to chipped away and take its first lead of the game, 23-22, after a Callahan lay-up with 4:11 left in the opening half, but UNO bounced right back with an 8-0 run capped by another 3-pointer by Kinsley.
The Green Wave then ended the half by scoring seven of the last nine points to trail, 32-30 at the break.
"We did not execute as crisp as we would have liked from the start and did not shoot the ball well," Conroy said. "A lot of things went against this team tonight, but we gutted it out on the defensive end. Give New Orleans credit. They played with great team intent tonight and our guys were able to dig down and shut them down in the second half."
The second half saw four ties and only one lead change. That change came when Johnny Mayhane cut through the lane for a lay-up to break a 37-37 tie with 11:37 remaining. Tulane did not surrender the lead the rest of the way.
The Green Wave got the victory despite hitting just 19 of 50 shots from the floor (38.0 percent) and knocking down 15 of 24 free throws (62.5 percent). UNO connected on 45.2 percent (19-42) shots from the floor, but hit just six of 20 in the second half. The Privateers and hit nine of 12 free throws.
Tulane won the battle of the boards, 34-26, led by Timmons with nine, while Kris Richard and Holmes added eight each. Callahan pulled down six rebounds of his own.
Kinsley led the Privateers with 15 points, while Antonio Wertz added 10 points. Brandon Knight chipped in with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Tulane defense converted 15 UNO turnovers into 21 points.
The victory over UNO snapped a four-game losing streak by the Green Wave to the Privateers and also evened the series at 23 win by each program.
Game Notes
- Senior forward Aaron Holmes scored in double figures in the second game this season and the eighth of game of his career with his 12 points tonight.
- Sophomore guard Jordan Callahan scored in double figures in the fifth game this season and the 10 of game of his career with his 12 points tonight.
- Sophomore guard Kendall Timmons scored in double figures in the seventh game of the season and 21 game in his career with his 15 points tonight.
- Tulane snapped a four-game losing streak to UNO and evened the series at 23-23.
