Friday, December 20
Washington, D.C.
1:30 p.m.
Tulane University
8-3,0-0AAC
61
vs
62
Akron
9-2,0-0MAC
1
2
F
Tulane
27
34
61
Akron
31
31
62
Photo by: Niamh Brennan
Men’s Basketball Drops Tight Contest to Akron, 62-61
Dec 20, 2019 | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Tulane men's basketball team dropped a tough, 62-61, neutral site contest to Akron in the 2019 D.C. Holiday Hoops Fest Tournament on Friday afternoon at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
Tulane faces Towson at noon (CT) in Saturday's third place game.
Teshaun Hightower led four Tulane (8-3) scorers in double-figures with a game-high 18 points and six rebounds, while K.J. Lawson added 14 points and nine boards. Kevin Zhang chipped in 11 points, while Christion Thompson had 10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
Xeriyus Williams led Akron (9-2) with 16 points and 15 rebounds, as Loren Jackson compiled 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Defense was an early theme for both teams as a Lawson layup at the 15:44 mark gave the Green Wave their first lead, 8-7. Tulane kept the score tight through the first nine minutes of action as a Hightower basket pulled the Wave back within a pair, but Akron ripped off a 10-0 scoring run in just two minutes time to create separation, 24-12, with 8:37 remaining.
Ron Hunter used a timeout to regather his squad, and it proved to be a key moment in refocusing the Green Wave, who finished the first half with a strong push by pulling within one point, but the Zips knocked down a late 3-pointer to take a 31-27 advantage into halftime.
Tulane shot 11-for-29 (.379) overall in the first half while forcing eight turnovers, as Akron went 10-for-29 (.345) from the floor and made five treys while holding a 23-19 rebounding edge.
The Green Wave continued its offensive uptick at the start of the second half, pulling back within one, 36-35, on a Jordan Walker basket with 16:26 left. The Zips found a way to pull ahead by seven points just a minute later and by nine, 48-39, after a three-point play by Channel Banks with 11:59 remaining, but that margin would not grow any larger for the rest of the game.
Trailing 53-44 with under 10 minutes remaining, Tulane surged to the tune of 10 consecutive points beginning with a second chance layup by Lawson and ending with an up-and-under finish on another lay-in by Lawson with exactly four minutes to go, giving the Wave their first lead in over 30 minutes of game time.
Lawson's heroics spurred the first of four lead changes down the final stretch, as Akron tied it up at 58 on a trey by Williams with 2:26 left.
Cheese made the front end of a pair of free throws to put the Zips back in front by one, but Zhang buried a clutch 3-pointer of his own to cap a run that saw Tulane make six of seven shots to take a 61-59 edge with 1:32 remaining.
Empty possessions on both sides kept Tulane in front until Akron took the lead for good when Williams spotted up from the left wing and made a go-ahead triple with 18 seconds remaining.
The Green Wave had the last possession but were unable to make a shot from the free throw line as time ran out.
Tulane finished the day shooting 26-for-64 (.406) overall, 4-for-16 (.250) beyond the 3-point arc and 5-for-10 (.500) at the foul stripe, as the Zips went 21-for-56 (.375) from the field and 11-for-31 (.355) from deep despite making just 9 of 19 (.474) free throw attempts.
Tulane faces Towson at noon (CT) in Saturday's third place game.
Teshaun Hightower led four Tulane (8-3) scorers in double-figures with a game-high 18 points and six rebounds, while K.J. Lawson added 14 points and nine boards. Kevin Zhang chipped in 11 points, while Christion Thompson had 10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
Xeriyus Williams led Akron (9-2) with 16 points and 15 rebounds, as Loren Jackson compiled 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Defense was an early theme for both teams as a Lawson layup at the 15:44 mark gave the Green Wave their first lead, 8-7. Tulane kept the score tight through the first nine minutes of action as a Hightower basket pulled the Wave back within a pair, but Akron ripped off a 10-0 scoring run in just two minutes time to create separation, 24-12, with 8:37 remaining.
Ron Hunter used a timeout to regather his squad, and it proved to be a key moment in refocusing the Green Wave, who finished the first half with a strong push by pulling within one point, but the Zips knocked down a late 3-pointer to take a 31-27 advantage into halftime.
Tulane shot 11-for-29 (.379) overall in the first half while forcing eight turnovers, as Akron went 10-for-29 (.345) from the floor and made five treys while holding a 23-19 rebounding edge.
The Green Wave continued its offensive uptick at the start of the second half, pulling back within one, 36-35, on a Jordan Walker basket with 16:26 left. The Zips found a way to pull ahead by seven points just a minute later and by nine, 48-39, after a three-point play by Channel Banks with 11:59 remaining, but that margin would not grow any larger for the rest of the game.
Trailing 53-44 with under 10 minutes remaining, Tulane surged to the tune of 10 consecutive points beginning with a second chance layup by Lawson and ending with an up-and-under finish on another lay-in by Lawson with exactly four minutes to go, giving the Wave their first lead in over 30 minutes of game time.
Lawson's heroics spurred the first of four lead changes down the final stretch, as Akron tied it up at 58 on a trey by Williams with 2:26 left.
Cheese made the front end of a pair of free throws to put the Zips back in front by one, but Zhang buried a clutch 3-pointer of his own to cap a run that saw Tulane make six of seven shots to take a 61-59 edge with 1:32 remaining.
Empty possessions on both sides kept Tulane in front until Akron took the lead for good when Williams spotted up from the left wing and made a go-ahead triple with 18 seconds remaining.
The Green Wave had the last possession but were unable to make a shot from the free throw line as time ran out.
Tulane finished the day shooting 26-for-64 (.406) overall, 4-for-16 (.250) beyond the 3-point arc and 5-for-10 (.500) at the foul stripe, as the Zips went 21-for-56 (.375) from the field and 11-for-31 (.355) from deep despite making just 9 of 19 (.474) free throw attempts.
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WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
Team Stats
Tulane
UA
FG%
.406
.375
3FG%
.250
.355
FT%
.500
.474
RB
41
42
TO
10
16
STL
9
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
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