Tulane University
Houston
Men's Basketball Earns 68-65 Win at Houston
Jan 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON - Jonathan Stark made all four of his free throw attempts in the final 27 seconds to help propel the Tulane men's basketball team to a, 68-65, victory at Houston on Saturday afternoon in an American Athletic Conference game at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Stark, a sophomore guard for the Green Wave (13-5, 4-2 American), knocked down a pair of free throws with 0:27 remaining to give Tulane a three-point lead and then hit two more with 0:05 left to make it a six-point game and help secure the victory over the Cougars (7-10, 0-6 American), who remained winless in conference play.
Houston held a 62-61 lead after a lay-up by Donrad Knowles with 1:49 left in the game before Tulane freshman Dylan Osetkowski's offensive rebound and putback gave the Green Wave the lead for good with 98 seconds remaining. That lead change was the eighth and final one of the contest.
"We had our hands full today with Houston. They are very talented and well coached," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "We found a way to win and we had some guys come up big again. This was a team victory and I couldn't be more proud of this team. They are a tough bunch."
Louis Dabney led Tulane with 18 point - 14 of which came in the first half - and drained three three-pointers. Stark finished with 15 points, while Osetkowski added 10 to go with seven rebounds. Tre Drye pulled down a game-high nine boards and had six points, including a free throw with 0:13 left to give Tulane a four-point lead.
Houston was led Knowles' 31 points, while Devonta Pollard had 16 points and nine rebounds.
The game featured eight lead changes and the score was tied seven times, including 33-33 after the first 20 minutes.
Tulane opened the game by scoring the first eight points, including a pair of three-pointers by Dabney. Houston didn't fold and proceeded to use an 18-2 run to take an eight point lead of their own, 18-10. The Green Wave chipped away and was able to tie the score at 33 on Dabney's third and final three-pointer with 0:09 left in the half.
The teams traded leads over the first four minutes of the second half until Tulane was able to take a lead that would last almost seven minutes and feature and seven-point advantage. Houston fought back and retook the lead, 51-50, with 8:01 remaining. The Cougars managed to hold that lead until Osetkowski's lay-up with 1:08 left.
Tulane shot 41.8 percent (23-55) from the floor and hit six-of-17 three-pointers. The Green Wave also knocked down 16-of-20 free throws in the game, including 13-of-15 in the second half. Houston shot 47.9 percent (23-48) from the floor and managed only three-of-17 from three-point range. The Cougars knocked down 16 of their 23 free throws as well.
Tulane outrebounded Houston, 37-26, led by Drye's nine and Osetkowski's seven. The Green Wave pulled down 16 offensive boards that led to 10 second chance points.
Tulane will host a pair of conference games next week beginning with SMU at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday before taking on Memphis at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
For single game tickets, starting as low as $5, please contact Athletic Ticket Sales & Service at (504) 861-WAVE or online at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
GAME NOTES
- Tulane improved to 16-15 overall against Houston with the win, including two in a row in Hofheinz Pavilion.
- Junior guard Louis Dabney scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and the 40th game of his career with 18 points today.
- Sophomore Jonathan Stark scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and the 40th game of his career with 15 points today.
- Freshman Dylan Osetkowski scored in double figures for the fifth time this season with 10 points today.
