Brumbaugh Leads Wave Past Memphis into American Championship Second Round

Wednesday, March 11

Birmingham, AL

6 p.m.

Tulane University

18-14,8-10American

(8) Memphis

13-19,8-10American

Tulane

Memphis

Brumbaugh Leads Wave Past Memphis into American Championship Second Round

Mar 11, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Rowan Brumbaugh dropped 35 points on 66.7 percent (10-15) shooting from the field to lead nine seed Tulane men's basketball (18-14) to an 81-69 victory over eight seed Memphis (13-19) in the first round of the American Conference Championship Wednesday night. Brumbaugh tallied 25 of his 35 points in the second half against the Tigers which marked was two points shy of the tournament single-game record of 27 (Russ Smith, Louisville vs. Houston, 2014).

As a team, the Wave knocked down 14 three-points connecting at a 41.2 percent (14-34) clip from beyond the arc. Brumbaugh led the way with five made threes while Curtis Williams Jr. and Scotty Middleton each added three.

Tulane also performed well at the charity stripe to help close out the victory over Memphis. The Green Wave shot 82.1 percent from the free throw line connecting on 23-of-28 attempts.

The Wave took the battle to the Tigers on the as well matching a season-high with 40 rebounds including 15 offensive boards. The first time Tulane pulled down 40 rebounds this season was against Tougaloo on December 10.

Seven different players found the scoring column for the Green Wave with two reaching double figures. Brumbaugh led all players matching his career bests in points and rebounds with 35 and eight. He also knocked down 10-of-13 from the charity stripe line marking the fourth game this season he has made at least 10 free throws.

Williams was the other player for the Wave in double figures with 11 points to go with seven boards. Middleton and Tyler Ringgold followed with nine points each while Asher Woods added seven and KJ Green and Luke Rasmussen contributed five.

Tulane and Memphis went back-and-forth to open the first-round contest inside Legacy Arena. The Wave was the first team to make a push building a six-point (23-17) advantage with 9:26 to play in the first half.

After the Tigers answered to briefly pull in front 24-23 with 7:26 remaining, the Green Wave quickly responded with six-straight points to reclaim the lead. With four minutes left in the frame, Tulane used a 10-4 run to take a 39-31 advantage into halftime, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Rasmussen.

Memphis made an early push to begin the second half and trim the Tulane lead to two points at 42-40 with 17:38 on the clock. However, after a Green Wave timeout the Wave locked down defensively holding the Tigers without a field goal for two separate six-minute stretches in the second half. Tulane took advantage of the scoring droughts by Memphis to build its largest lead of the night at 18 points (68-50) with under seven minutes to play.

Tulane continued to maintain its distance from the Tigers down the stretch never letting its lead fall under 10 points. The Green Wave ultimately closed contest from the free throw line securing the 81-69 victory over Memphis.

Next, the Green Wave will face five seed Charlotte in the second round of the American Conference Championship on Thursday. Tipoff between Tulane and the 49ers is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

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