Tulane University
Jackson State
Dabney Leads Men's Basketball Past Jackson State
Dec 19, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS - Louis Dabney's 22 points and a solid defensive effort by the team guided the Tulane men's basketball squad to a, 57-49, victory over visiting Jackson State at Devlin Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon to extend the winning streak to nine straight games.
The Green Wave (9-1), who have not lost since the season opener against Wake Forest on November 17, held off the pesky Tigers (2-10) and overcame a poor shooting game with one of the best defensive performances of the season. Tulane held JSU to just 31.6 percent shooting from the floor, forced 14 turnovers, collected nine steals and blocked six shots.
"The two teams really went at it today and unfortunately neither one of us made a lot of shots," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "But the best thing about this game was the mental toughness we had. I thought we played so much harder than we did the other night and we defended for the entire 40 minutes. I have no problems with our guys today from an effort standpoint."
JSU also played a good defensive game and held Tulane to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and forced 17 turnovers. The Green Wave did capitalize on being sent to the free throw line 35 times by knocking down 25 of those shots.
Dabney's 22 was a season-high for the junior and 16 of those points came in the second half. He also connected on 12 of 15 free throws. Senior Jay Hook added 10 points and nine rebounds in the win. Sophomore Jonathan Stark chipped in with nine points and a game-high five assists, while fellow sophomore Payton Henson added eight points and eight rebounds.
The game saw four ties and four lead changes before Tulane was able to take the lead for good with 7:14 left in the first half when Henson broke a 12-12 tie with a lay-up. The Green Wave built as much as a seven-point lead in the half and took a 23-16 advantage into the locker room at the break.
Tulane then built an 11-point lead, 34-23, less than five minutes into the second half, a lead the proved to be the largest of the game. Jackson State chipped away and eventually got as close as four, 39-35, with 9:04 remaining. The Green Wave used a lay-up from Dabney, a pair of free throws from Henson and jumper from Hook over the next minute and a half to build the advantage back to double figures.
JSU was able to cut the deficit back down to four two more times, but was not able to get any closer thanks to some clutch free throw shooting by the Green Wave. Tulane knocked down seven of the last eight from the charity stripe, including five of those coming off the hands of Dabney, to secure the win.
Tulane will hit the road for the next four games and will open the trip by traveling across the country to face No. 16 Washington in Seattle on Monday at 10 p.m. CT. The Green Wave's next game in Devlin Fieldhouse will be the American Athletic Conference home-opener against Temple on Jan. 7.
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
- Tulane's nine-game win streak is the longest since the Green Wave won nine straight to open the 2011-12 season.
- Senior Jay Hook's one three-pointer in today's game give him 21 for the season and 138 for his career, moving him into a sixth-place tie on Tulane's career list with Kris Richard's 138 from 2007-11.
- Junior guard Louis Dabney scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and the 34th game of his career with 22 points today. His 22 points marks the eighth 20-plus point game of his career and the first since posting 20 at UAB last season.
- Senior guard Jay Hook scored in double figures for the eighth time this season and the 31st game of his career with 10 points today.
