Tulane University
Loyola (N.O.)
Balanced Attack Leads Men's Basketball Over Loyola
Nov 12, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS - Five players scored in double figures to lead a balanced Tulane men's basketball attack on Wednesday night in a, 87-43, victory over cross-campus foe Loyola in an exhibition game at Devlin Fieldhouse. Junior Louis Dabney led the charge with 15 points, while sophomore Kajon Mack had 14. Senior Jay Hook and sophomore Payton Henson each added 11 and Cameron Reynolds chipped in 10. All 13 players that played in the game scored at least one point.
"It was great to see a number of guys play well together," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "We are a deeper team this year and we are still trying to find effective units out there. We still have a long way to go and some things to work out, but I like how hard this team works with the effort and coachability and I like where we are headed."
Overall Tulane shot 43.1 percent from the floor (28-65) and connected on eight three-pointers. The Green Wave also knocked down 23-of-28 free throws in the victory.
Dabney had four of the three-pointers, while Mack, Reynolds, Henson and freshman Riley Conroy each drained one.
On the defensive end, Tulane held Loyola to just 26.3 percent shooting (15-57) from the floor and five-of-18 from three-point land. The Wolfpack committed 19 turnovers that led to 23 points for the Green Wave. Tulane also has 12 fast break points.
"I was pleased with our defensive effort the whole night," Conroy said. "I just didn't think we finished possessions in the first half and therefore we were not able to run. We did a better job of that in the second half and that was a big part why our offense loosened up."
Tulane shot 50.0 percent (14-28) from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
Loyola was able to hang around if the first half after opening the scoring with a bucket by Austin Roark just 19 seconds into the game. Tulane wasn't able to tie it up until over a minute later when sophomore Ryan Smith scored on a put-back. The Green Wave build an 8-2 lead before Loyola chipped away and tied it up at, 8-8, with just over 12 minutes left in the half. A 9-0 run then allowed Tulane to pull away, but Loyola got within four, 21-17, with 4:54 remaining before the Green Wave closed the half by outscoring the visitors, 17-9, and took a 38-26 lead into the locker room.
Tulane controlled the second half and built a 20-plus point lead less than seven minutes in, 53-33. The Green Wave defense then held Loyola without a point for the final 6:56 of the game and scored 19 of their own during that stretch to create the 40-plus point differential.
Mack, who returned to the court after missing last season with an injury, pulled down a team-high eight rebounds along with sophomore Jonathan Stark's eight boards. Reynolds and sophomore transfer Aaron Liberman each grabbed six rebounds to contribute to Tulane's total of 51.
Freshman Keith Pinckney led Tulane with three of the Green Wave's 12 assists.
Tulane will open the regular season on Monday when ACC foe Wake Forest visits Devlin Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. CT tip. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 by clicking here and can also be heard live on the Tulane IMG Sports Network (106.1 FM locally in the New Orleans area).
Season ticket prices for Tulane's inaugural season in The American are $300 for premium chairback seating, $200 for bleacher seating, and $400 for the family zone (2 adult/2 youth for both men's and women's basketball seasons). In addition, men's basketball season ticket holders will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase half-priced women's season tickets.
For additional information, call the Tulane Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE (9283), reserve your seats on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com, or visit the Tulane Team Shop in person on the ground floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- All 13 players that played for the Green Wave scored at least one point.
- Five players scored in double figures, including Louis Dabney (15), Kajon Mack (14), Payton Henson (11), Jay Hook (11), Cameron Reynolds (10).
