Tulane University
10-17, 3-11
Houston
19-7, 9-5
MBB: Green Wave unable to stop Houston, falling 82-69
Feb 17, 2016 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men's basketball team was unable to get past the Houston Cougars Wednesday night, falling 82-69 at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse. Senior Louis Dabney led the way with 23 points in the game, while sophomore Dylan Osetkowski notched his third straight double-double, 10th of the year, with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Houston's Damyean Dotson led five players in double figures with 19 points in the game.
After keeping things close to start the game Houston (19-7, 9-5 American) jumped out to a seven-point lead around the midway point in the first half. Tulane (10-17, 3-11 American) quickly made it a one-possession game again with back-to-back buckets. The Cougars would return their lead to seven points on two other occasions as time ran down before halftime.
A three from Dabney with 2:13 on the clock made it 33-30 in favor of the Cougars, but Houston's Kyle Meyer was called for a foul which was quickly followed by a technical that resulted in four made free throws for the Green Wave. With the game tied at 35, Houston was able to close-out the first half with four straight points in the final minute to hold a 39-35 lead at the break. It was a big first half for Osetkowski, who scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the opening period, while Dabney added 13 points.
The Cougars came out hot in the second half, scoring six straight points to give them a 10-point lead. Just inside the 15-minute mark a dunk from Osetkowski, followed by a layup from Dabney helped spark the Green Wave. Redshirt junior Malik Morgan, who scored just two points in the first half, hit a three a minute later and began a run of his own for Tulane. Morgan scored 12 straight points in a three-minute span and got the Green Wave within two by the under-12 media timeout.
A 6-0 fun for Houston out of the break in action quickly regained its lead as the clock headed toward eight minutes remaining. The Cougars were able to distance themselves by double digits, again, with 5:18 to play and never looked back.
Despite the difficult night from the field that saw Tulane shoot 35.6-percent in the game, free throws kept the Green Wave in it as they made 19 of 24 from the line. Houston finished the game shooting 56.1-percent from the field. The Cougars also took the edge on the boards, 36-31, and saw 42 of their 82 points come in the paint.
The Green Wave will have a week off and return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 24 to wrap up the homestand against East Carolina at 7 p.m.
