Tulane University
8-10 (1-4)
USF
3-15 (0-5)
Tulane knocks off South Florida, 81-70
Jan 12, 2016 | Men's Basketball
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tulane men's basketball team picked up its first conference win of the season Tuesday night, knocking off the South Florida Bulls, 81-70, at the Sun Dome. Sophomore Dylan Osetkowski earned his seventh double-double of the year with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while senior Louis Dabney also added 19 points for the Green Wave. Nehemias Morillo led the Bulls with 20 points in the game.
Tulane (8-10, 1-4 American) went up 10-4 to start the game and remained in control until the 11-minute mark. Morillo hit a three for South Florida and nearly a minute later Jahmal McMurray hit a jumper to tie it a 14-all. Play went back-and-forth until the Bulls put together a 10-2 run over a 3:35 span to take a two-possession lead with 2:45 left until halftime. Redshirt junior Malik Morgan halted the scoring stint with a three, and Osetkowski added another from beyond the arc the next time down the court to put Tulane back within two.
A three from Dabney with 48 second left until the break would make it a one-point game at the half in South Florida's favor, 33-32. Osetkowski had another successful opening period, scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds. Tulane shot just 34.3-percent in the first half, but hit seven threes to keep the Green Wave in it.
Freshman Melvin Frazier, who scored 10 of his career-best 15 points in the second half, started the new period by throwing down an in-bound pass from Osetkowski to regain the lead for Tulane. Morillo tied the game for the fourth time with a pair of South Florida free throws, but a three from Morgan put the Green Wave up 37-35. Despite the Bulls refusing to back down, Tulane would hold on to the lead for the remainder of the game, going up by as many as 16 points.
The Green Wave committed a season-low six turnovers in the game, and just one in the second half. Dabney, added five assists in the game and did not have a turnover. Morgan rounded out the four players in double figures for with 13 points, while graduate student Jernard Jarreau added six points and five rebounds off the bench.
McMurray finished the game with 10 points, and Chris Perry added 12 for the Bulls, who shot over 50-percent in all categories.
Tulane got a lot of practice from the free throw line in the final three minutes of the game, making 13 of its 19 attempts. The Green Wave finished with a 39-32 rebounding advantage and scored 25 points on second-chance opportunities.
Tulane returns to action Sunday, Jan. 17 hosting unbeaten SMU at 2 p.m. in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.
