Tulane University
13-13, 4-10AAC
Memphis
16-11, 7-7AAC
Men’s Basketball Falls Short Against Memphis, 68-63
Feb 17, 2018 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane men's basketball team placed four scorers in double-figures and outscored Memphis in the second half, but was unable to pull through in a 68-63 American Athletic Conference home loss Saturday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
Jordan Cornish and Melvin Frazier led Tulane (13-13, 4-10 AAC) with 16 points apiece, while Caleb Daniels added 13 points off the bench. Cameron Reynolds chipped in 12 points, while Cornish shot 6-for-12 from the field and made four 3-pointers.
The conference's leading scorer, Jeremiah Martin led all players with 22 points and four steals, as Mike Parks, Jr. added 15 points and six rebounds. Kyvon Davenport also made it to double figures with 10 points for Memphis (16-11, 7-7 AAC).
The Tigers opened with game by making six of their first seven shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers by Martin, to establish an early 14-4 advantage with 14:28 remaining in the opening period. The Green Wave cut the deficit to seven on multiple occasions, including a trey by Cornish to make it 18-11 with 8:29 to go.
A Frazier four-point play capped a 7-0 scoring run down to the 4:28 mark, cutting the deficit to just two, 20-18, but Martin sunk a straightaway mid-range jumper on the next possession, was fouled and converted the subsequent free throw to push the margin to five with under four minutes left.
The Wave would draw no closer before halftime, as the Tigers took a 28-22 lead into the locker rooms at intermission.
Tulane shot 8-for-29 (.276) from the field, 3-for-12 (.250) beyond the arc and made all three free throw attempts in the first half, as Memphis went 11-for-21 (.524) on the floor, 3-for-8 (.375) from outside and 3-for-6 (.500) at the foul stripe.
The Tigers scored the first five points of the second half on a baseline jumper by Rivers followed by a trey by Jamal Johnson to extend their margin back to double digits, 33-22, before the Green Wave called a timeout with 17:11 remaining in the game.
Tulane's deficit grew to as many as 13 points with the score 35-22 and 15:51 remaining, but was able to fight back and come within seven, 35-28, after a pair of Daniels free throws with under 14 minutes to go. The offensive charge continued down to the 11:44 mark when Frazier got out in transition on the wing and found Daniels at the room for an alley-oop jam, forcing the Tigers to call timeout with a one-point lead, 37-36, and 11:44 left.
The Tigers slowly pulled away for the next six minutes however, creating another 10-point lead, 56-46, on a 3 by Davenport with 5:06 remaining. Despite Memphis making seven shots in a row, turnovers haunted them as Tulane made five straight shots, the last a 3-pointer by Cornish to pull within four, 60-56, with 2:38 on the clock.
The deficit went back to as many as eight following a pair of Martin free throws with 40 seconds left, but Samir Sehic matches those freebies and Cornish buried his fourth 3-pointer of the day with 12 seconds to go to bring Tulane within three, 66-63, before calling timeout. Memphis would hold on however, as Martin made two final free throws in a 1-and-1 situation to seal the five-point win for the visitors.
The Green Wave finished the night shooting 19-for-49 (.388) overall, 8-for-22 (.364) from 3-point land and 17-for-20 (.850) at the free throw line, while the Tigers went 25-for-46 (.543) from the field, 6-for-16 (.375) from deep and 12-for-15 (.750) at the foul stripe, while owning a 30-25 rebounding margin.
Memphis owned a 28-18 scoring advantage in the paint, despite being outscored, 16-9, off turnovers, 10-9 on second chances and 19-7 off the bench.
Tulane will head back on the road to face Wichita State on Wednesday, February 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
