Tulane University
Drake
MBB: Tulane tops Drake in overtime, 79-74
Nov 16, 2015 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – For the second straight outing, the Tulane men's basketball team needed overtime to decide the game, but this time the Green Wave came out on top, knocking off the Drake Bulldogs 79-74 in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse Monday night. Redshirt junior Malik Morgan and senior Louis Dabney led the way with 18 points apiece for the Green Wave. Graham Woodward paced the Bulldogs with 20 points on the night.
It was another slow start for the Green Wave (1-1,) but they never let Drake (1-1) get ahead by more than two possessions in the first half. A three from Morgan just before the first media timeout of the game and a pair of free throws from graduate student Jernard Jarreau gave the game its first of 12 ties on the night.
With 9:17 left in the first half, freshman Blake Paul capitalized on a steal by classmate Kain Harris to give Tulane its first lead at 23-22, and sparked a 7-2 run for the Green Wave.
Drake's Reed Timmer tied the game for the fifth time with 1:56 left in the first half, but a pair of late free throws from Dabney gave Tulane the edge at the break, 35-33. Jarreau seemed to be on pace for a another big scoring night for the Green Wave, but he picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first 1:40 of the second half which forced him to spend the majority of the period on the bench.
Play remained close for much of the second half until an 8-2 run for the Bulldogs with 10:20 to play put them up 59-51, but sophomore Dylan Osetkowski broke up the scoring stint with a bucket in the paint. Field goals from Morgan and freshman Melvin Frazier quickly got the Green Wave back to within two.
With under four minutes to play, neither team led by more than a possession. The Green Wave got a late go-ahead layup from Morgan and Jarreau made it a three-point game with a pair of made free throws with 1:56 left to play, but Woodward answered for the Bulldogs with a three to tie it the next time down the floor.
As time was winding down Tulane again saw Dabney head to the free throw line with a chance to decide the outcome. He hit both to put the Green Wave up two, but Woodward found Dominik Olejniczak who was wide open down low for the dunk and the tie with 39 seconds remaining in regulation. Neither team was able to get its final attempt to fall, and the game went to overtime tied at 69.
Morgan was the first to strike in extra time, but Woodward eventually answered with a go-ahead three. Dabney and Morgan made it back-to-back field goals to reestablish the Green Wave lead, and a free throw from Osetkowski made it a two-possession game, forcing the Bulldogs to foul in the closing seconds.
Despite the foul trouble Jarreau finished with 12 points in the game. Kain Harris added seven points off the bench, while Paul blocked four shots and grabbed six rebounds in his collegiate debut.
Timmer finished the game with 19 points, and Kale Abrahamson put up 16 points For the Bulldogs.
The Green Wave score 17 points off of Drake's 21 turnovers in the game, and outrebounded the Bulldogs 44-39. Tulane is now 2-4 all-time in back-to-back overtime games, 2-2 under head coach Ed Conroy.
Tulane will return to action Thursday, Nov. 19 as it travels to Baton Rouge to take on Southern at 7 p.m.
