Tulane University
3-1
Southern
1-4
Men's Basketball Wins Third Straight, 74-59
Nov 25, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS - Four players' double figure scoring performances, led by Tre Drye and Jonathan Stark with 14 points each, lifted the Tulane men's basketball team to its third straight win, 74-59, over visiting Southern on Tuesday night at Devlin Fieldhouse.
Jay Hook's 12 points and Payton Henson's 11 off the bench completed the double figure scoring for the Green Wave (3-1) in another well balanced victory. Louis Dabney added eight points in the win.
"I like the balance," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "Hopefully we can keep that going. If we can continue to execute better where we can call guys numbers at different times depending on match-ups, then I'll feel really good about it."
Southern (1-4), who lost for the fourth straight outing, came out of the gate strong and took any early lead after Tulane's Ryan Smith got the scoring started with a lay-up less than a minute after the opening tip. The Jaguars answered with eight straight to hold an, 8-2, advantage just over three minutes in.
The Green Wave then rattled off a 9-2 run of their own to reclaim the lead. Stark's lay-up and free throw capped the run.
The game saw four more lead changes and two ties before Tulane took the lead for good on a Stark free throw with just inside five minutes remaining in the first half that broke a 21-21 tie. The Green Wave closed out the half by outscoring Southern, 16-5, and held a, 37-26, advantage at the break.
"I was pleased with the win," Conroy said. "There were some bright spots and I thought we executed well in the last six or seven minutes of the first half. Maybe we played as good as we have all year during that stretch and we were able to get a little bit of a lead."
Tulane held onto the double digit lead the entire second half and Southern would not get closer than 12 in the final 20 minutes. The largest lead of the game, 17 points, happened on five occasions, with the final time coming with 3:33 left on the clock.
The Green Wave shot 47.7 percent (21-44) from the floor and knocked down 27-of-37 free throws. Southern connected on 43.1 percent (22-55) from the floor and managed just one-of-six three-pointers. The Jaguars also hit just 14-of-25 free throws.
In addition to tying for the team lead in points, Stark led the Green Wave with seven rebounds and five assists. Hook, who knocked down all nine of his free throws, added five rebounds, while Dabney and Henson each pulled down four boards. Tulane outrebounded Southern, 36-29.
Banks led the Jaguars with a game-high 15 points.
Tulane will host Southeastern Louisiana and Tennessee Tech this coming Friday and Sunday, respectively, to close out the homestand as part of the Tulane Tournament. The Green Wave will face SLU at 7 p.m. CT on Friday and TTU on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
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
- Sophomore guard Jonathan Stark scored in double figures for the second time this season and the 29th game of his career with 14 points tonight.
- Senior guard Jay Hook scored in double figures for the third time this season and the 26th game of his career with 12 points tonight.
- Sophomore forward Payton Henson scored in double figures for the first time this season and the second game of his career with 11 points tonight.
- Senior forward Tre Drye scored in double figures for the first time this season and the 11th game of his career with 14 points tonight.
- Tulane improved to a perfect 8-0 against its in-state foe Southern with the victory tonight.
