Men's Basketball Suffers 69-66 Overtime Loss to Texas State

Friday, December 23

Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse

1 p.m. CT

Tulane University

3-9

Texas State

7-5

OT 1

Texas State

Tulane

Men's Basketball Suffers 69-66 Overtime Loss to Texas State

Dec 23, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – In a game comprising 20 even scores and 17 lead changes, Tulane men's basketball surrendered a game-tying three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in regulation before suffering a 69-66 overtime loss to Texas State in its non-conference finale Friday afternoon in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Cameron Reynolds shot 7-for-12 on the day to finish with 20 points and six rebounds, while Malik Morgan compiled 15 points, 10 boards and three assists. Ryan Smith poured in 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting to complement a career-high six blocks.

Kavin Gilder-Tidbury led the Bobcats with a game-high 23 points, while Bobby Conley scored 14 points and Nijal Pearson chipped in 11 points and six rebounds.

Both teams felt out one another in the early going with stingy defense and long offensive possessions, but after Ray Ona Embo's first basket of the day at the 11:10 mark created an early 10-6 lead, the Bobcats countered with nine-straight points to create a five-point advantage, forcing the Green Wave to use its first timeout with 8:37 remaining in the first half.

Tulane (3-9) was able to end the scoring run and pulled even with Texas State (7-5) three times before the end of the period, the first at 17-all and the final time at 22-all on a three by Colin Slater with 2:55 to go, but the Bobcats took a 26-24 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

The Green Wave shot 9-for-19 (.474) overall, 1-for-6 (.167) from three and 5-for-10 (.500) at the foul line in the first half, while Texas State shot 10-for-30 (.300) on the floor, 3-for-8 (.375) beyond the arc and made all three of its free throw attempts.

After trading points in the first three minutes of the second half and the Bobcats holding a 29-28 lead, Tulane used a 6-0 scoring run on consecutive layups by Morgan, Reynolds and Melvin Frazier to create its largest lead, 34-29, and forced the Bobcats to call timeout (15:22).

Texas State reclaimed the lead, 36-35, following a 7-1 scoring surge of its own on a Marlin Davis layup with 12:08 left. Despite a pair of threes by Slater that broke ties and put the Green Wave ahead, 43-40, with 8:22 to go and 48-45 at the 5:28 mark, the Bobcats had answers to keep the game within one possession for the remainder of the contest.

A Frazier layup with 1:30 to play and a pair of free throws by Morgan with 24 ticks left in regulation put Tulane up, 60-57, by Gilder-Tidbury connected on a deep, contested three with 10 seconds to go to draw Texas State even and send the game to overtime.

After falling behind, 64-62, Morgan stepped up once more by tying the game on a pair of free throws with 2:19 left and netting a layup on the very next possession to put the Green Wave in front one last time, 66-64, with 1:43 remaining.

A pair of free throws at the other end of the floor drew the score even one last time at 66 apiece, before Conley drained what proved to be a dagger three-ball with 38 seconds to go.

A pair of turnovers inside the final half-minute of play proved costly for Tulane and Morgan got off a deep three with eight ticks left on the game clock, but it hit the side of the iron and ricocheted out of bounds to seal the Wave's fate.

Tulane will return to action when it begins its American Athletic Conference slate at home on Wednesday, Dec. 28 against UCF. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on American Sports Network/ESPN3.