Men's Basketball
Green Wave Drops Hard Fought Battle at Memphis
All Five Starters Score in Double Figures for Green Wave in 66-61 Loss to Tigers
 

 

  
 

March 5, 2011

Box Score |  AP Photo Gallery 

MEMPHIS - Despite having all five starters reaching double figures in points, the Tulane men's basketball team was not able to hold off Memphis, falling, 66-61, in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at FedExForum.

The Green Wave (13-16, 3-13, C-USA) fought hard but once again came up just short.

"I'm really proud of these guys and I'm really feeling for them right now," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "I love coaching these guys and they represent in a great way. They put themselves in position to win in a very tough environment."

Tulane opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, one by Kris Richard and one by Johnny Mayhane, to jump out to an early 6-0 lead and led the entire first half.

The Green Wave's largest lead of the game, 20-12, came after David Booker knocked down a free throw to complete a three-point play with 12:04 remaining in the half.

Memphis (22-9, 10-6 C-USA) used a 6-0 run to cut the lead back down to two and eventually tied the game at 24-24 with 5:48 left. A Jordan Callahan 3-pointer broke the tie less than 20 seconds later.

The game was also tied at 29-29 with 1:07 left in the half before Kendall Timmons sent Tulane into the locker room with a 31-29 lead after a dunk with five seconds remaining.

The Green Wave opened the second half almost the same way they opened the game when Mayhane drained his third of five 3-pointers to give Tulane a 34-29 lead. Memphis chipped away again and tied the game 34-34 less than two minutes into the half, but Tulane still did not surrender the lead. Mayhane answered with his fourth 3-pointer and Callahan knocked down this second long range shot to put the Green Wave back up.

Memphis took its first lead after a dunk by Will Barton broke a 40-40 tie with 14:45 left in the game. Tulane didn't let the Tigers hold the lead long as Richard connected on his second 3-pointers of the game to start a Green Wave run that saw them outscore Memphis, 13-4, over the next six minutes to own a 53-46 lead with 8:43 remaining.

The Tigers then used an 8-0 run to retake the lead, one they would only surrender once in the final five minutes of the game.

An Antonio Barton 3-pointer after a missed 3-point attempt from Callahan gave Memphis its largest lead, 64-58, with 1:08 left. Mayhane hit his final three with 49 seconds remaining to cut the deficit back to 64-61, but the Green Wave couldn't get any closer.

Mayhane led Tulane with 15 points on 5-7 shooting from 3-point range. Timmons added 14 points, while Booker and Callahan had 11 points each and Richard chipped in with 10 points. Both Richard and Booker led the way with six rebounds each.

Tarik Black led Memphis with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Barton added 15 points in the victory.

Tulane shot 46.9 percent from the floor for the game, including hitting nine of 18 3-pointers. The Green Wave hit 50.0 percent from the floor in the opening half.

Memphis shot 55.3 percent from the floor in the game, including 56.5 percent in the first half.

The Green Wave will now be the No. 12 seed in next week's Conference USA Tournament in El Paso. The squad will open the tournament on Wednesday against the No. 5 seed, which will not be determined until final games of Saturday.

GAME NOTES
- Johnny Mayhane scored in double figures in the sixth game of the season and 11th game in his career with his 15 points tonight.
- Jordan Callahan became the fourth player in Tulane history to knock down at least 60 3-pointers in a season with his two today. He now has 60 this season, the fourth most in a single season.
- Kendall Timmons scored in double figures in the 27th game of the season and 42nd game in his career with his 14 points today.
- Callahan scored in double figures in the 26th game of the season and 29th game in his career with his 11 points today.
- David Booker scored in double figures in the 12th game of the season and 18th game in his career with his 11 points today.
- Kris Richard scored in double figures in the 16th game of the season and 51st game in his career with his 10 points today.
- All five Tulane starters scored in double figures, the first time since they accomplished the feat against Lamar on Dec. 30, 2010.

 

 

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