Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to East Carolina, 76-73

Tuesday, February 21

Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse

8 p.m. CT

Tulane University

5-22, 2-13AAC

East Carolina

13-15, 5-10AAC

East Carolina

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to East Carolina, 76-73

Feb 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men's basketball team missed a trio of potential game-tying three-pointers in the final eight seconds and suffered a 76-73 home defeat to East Carolina in American Athletic Conference action Tuesday evening at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Cameron Reynolds scored a game-high 22 points while shooting 8-for-16 from the field and 3-for-7 from three-point range, as Melvin Frazier added 19 points and six rebounds. Malik Morgan registered his second double-double of the season with 12 points, 11 boards and seven assists. Colin Slater added nine points off the bench and Ryan Smith blocked four shots.

Caleb White and Kentrell Barkley led four East Carolina (13-15, 5-10 AAC) scorers in double-figures with 17 points apiece, as Jeremy Sheppard added 16 points and five assists. Andre Washington posted 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks, as ECU shot 18-for-31 (.581) from the field and 5-for-9 (.556) beyond the arc in the second half.

The two sides exchanged scores early, but the Pirates were able to jump ahead, 8-4, on a pair of Barkley free throws after the first media timeout just five minutes into the contest. Tulane (5-22, 2-13 AAC) would respond with a 9-4 scoring run, highlighted by seven points from Frazier to put the Green Wave ahead, 13-12, just under the 12-minute mark of the opening half.

The Wave extended its lead to as many as six when a three by Reynolds made it 18-12, but five-straight points by B.J. Tyson cut the deficit to just one at the 8:47 mark. Leading 20-18, Tulane raced out on a 7-1 scoring run ignited by another Reynolds three and capped by a Morgan dunk forced ECU to burn a timeout with 5:46 to play and the olive and blue in front by eight.

Von Julien drained a three of his own with just 100 seconds left to give the Green Wave its largest advantage of the half, 34-25, before surrendering consecutive baskets to take a five-point lead into the locker rooms at the intermission.

East Carolina took advantage of some sloppy play by Tulane in the opening minute of the second half and scored the first seven points of the period, forcing the Green Wave into calling a timeout with 18:41 remaining. Tulane countered right away with consecutive baskets by Reynolds and Smith, but the Pirates responded and pulled in front, 42-40, on a White jumper with 16:19 on the game clock.

The Green Wave burst out on a 9-0 run from that point, highlighted by five points from Reynolds and a transition layup by Morgan to give the olive and blue a 49-42 lead, forcing ECU into calling timeout with 14:02 left to play.

The Pirates had a response of their own, scoring 10-straight points over the subsequent two minutes of action, before Head Coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. called a timeout at the 11:49 mark with the Wave trailing by three.

A Barkley layup with 9:08 to go pushed ECU's advantage to seven, 61-54, but an 11-2 run by the Green Wave, finished off by a pair of free throws by Frazier with 5:54 remaining tied the game at 63-all. East Carolina would score four-straight points, but a Slater three brought the wave back within one, 67-66.

The Pirates would use a jumper by Sheppard and a three by White to pull ahead by six, 72-66, with 3:35 left, but a pair of threes by Slater and Frazier eventually got the Green Wave back within a pair, 74-72, with just over two minutes to go.

Tulane would go cold at the free throw line, missing three of four attempts in the final minute with multiple opportunities to tie the game, and despite Barkley missing the back end of a one-and-one trip to the charity stripe to put ECU on top, 76-73, the Green Wave got off three shots in the final eight seconds but could not find the bottom of the net as time ran out.

Tulane finished the night shooting 27-for-64 (.422) overall, 8-for-23 (.348) beyond the arc, and 11-for-16 at the free throw line while owning an 18-10 edge in points off turnovers. East Carolina went 28-for-58 (.483) on the floor, 7-for-15 (.467) from deep and 13-for-19 (.684) at the foul stripe to complement a 39-33 rebounding advantage and 17-11 margin in second-chance points.

Tulane will play the first of its final two road games of the season when it travels to Philadelphia to face Temple on Saturday, Feb. 25 Opening tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT), at the Liacouras Center and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.