Tulane University
6-1
Loyola Chicago
4-2
Men's Basketball Nabs Sixth Straight Win
Dec 3, 2014 | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO - Four players scored in double figures to lead the Tulane men's basketball team to a sixth-straight victory, 83-70, over Loyola-Chicago in the first road game of the season on Wednesday night in Gentile Arena.
Seniors Tre Drye and Jay Hook led the Green Wave (6-1). Drye poured in a game-high 18 points on a near perfect shooting night (7-7 from the floor and 3-4 from the line), while Hook added 15 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Payton Henson added a career-high tying 14 points off the bench and sophomore Jonathan Stark chipped in with 13 points of his own. Junior Louis Dabney missed double digits by one with his nine-point effort.
"Our guys had a real calmness about them tonight," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "That's why it felt like we were in control the whole game against a team that had confidence coming into and had won some basketball games. This was a completed collective effort as a team and it was fun to watch this group tonight."
Tulane, who's six-game winning streak is the longest since a nine-game run that opened the 2011-12 season, scored the first six points of the game before Loyola-Chicago (4-2) cracked the scoring column. The Ramblers never got closer than that 6-2 difference the rest of the way. The Green Wave built its first double digit lead, 20-10, just over 10 minutes into the game and then held a 34-24 lead at the break.
The Green Wave extended the lead by scoring eight of the first nine points of the second half and held the Ramblers without a field goal for the first six minutes of the half. Tulane went up, 42-25, four minutes into the second, the largest lead, but Loyola-Chicago didn't run and hide. The Ramblers scored 12 of the next 17 points to cut the Tulane lead back to 10, 47-37, with 11:44 left in the game, but couldn't get any closer.
Tulane expanded the lead and held on due in part of knocking down 19-of-22 free throws in the second half, including each of the last 12 in the final two minutes of the contest.
The Green Wave shot well in the game and connected on 52.8 percent (28-53) from the floor, hit 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the line and knocked down six-of-15 from three-point land. Tulane also dominated the boards and outrebounded Loyola-Chicago, 37-22, including 12 offensive boards that were turned into 21 second chance points.
Defensively, the Green Wave converted 12 Ramblers' turnovers into 17 points. Loyola-Chicago shot 48.1 percent from the floor for the game, connected on seven-of-16 three-pointers and made 13-of-21 free throws.
Tulane will return home for a Saturday tilt with SEC foe Mississippi State. That game will tip at 1 p.m. CT to precede the 6:30 p.m. CT season-finale football game against Temple at Yulman Stadium.
Fans who present a Tulane-Temple football ticket at the men's basketball game will receive a ticket for just $5 at the door, while all men's basketball ticket holders for the Mississippi State game will receive a free ticket to the football game against Temple. For additional information, call the Tulane Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE (9283).
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 six-game win streak is the longest since the Green Wave won nine straight to open the 2011-12 season.
- Senior guard Jay Hook scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and the 29th game of his career with 15 points tonight.
- Senior forward Tre Drye scored in double figures for the second time this season and the 12th game of his career with 18 points tonight.
- Senior forward Tre Drye scored in double figures for the second time this season and the 12th game of his career with 18 points tonight.
- Sophomore guard Jonathan Stark scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the 32nd game of his career with 13 points tonight.
- Sophomore forward Payton Henson scored in double figures for the second time this season and the third game of his career with a career-high tying 14 points tonight.
- Tulane has now had at least four players score in double figures in the fifth game this season.
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