March 7, 2003
Tulane (14-14, 7-8 C-USA)
vs.
Southern Miss (12-14, 5-10 C-USA)
Saturday, March 8, 2003 ~ 6:30 p.m. (Central)
New Orleans, La. ~ Fogelman Arena
Game Notes as PDF
Tulane Schedule
Official Southern Miss Athletics Website
Green Wave Facts
2002-03 Record: 14-14
2001-02 Record: 14-15
2002-03 C-USA Record: 7-8
2001-02 C-USA Record: 5-11
Head Coach: Shawn Finney
Alma Mater/Year: Fairmont St/1985
Record at Tulane/Year: 37-50/3rd
Overall Record/Years: Same
President: Scott Cowen
Athletic Director: Rick Dickson
Basketball SID: John Sudsbury
Direct Phone: 504-314-7271
SID Fax: 504-865-5512
SID E-Mail: jsudsbu@tulane.edu
Ticket Office Phone: 504-861-WAVE
RADIO:
New Orleans, WTIX-AM, 690
New Orleans, WTIX-FM, 94.3
Northshore, WJSH-FM, 104.7
Baton Rouge, WSKR-AM, 1210
Lafayette, KROF-AM, 960
TELEVISION: None.
RIDE THE WAVE
Tulane had dropped two games in a row, however, both have been on the road. In Conference USA games, home teams have won 68 percent of the time. The two losses (to Saint Louis and to South Florida) came after the Green Wave had won seven of eight games. On Saturday, the Wave hosts Southern Miss for the regular season finale at 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena. Tulane then departs for the 2003 Kelly Tires Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament on Monday afternoon. The Wave will be in action on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament.
SENIOR DAY
Five seniors will be playing their final games at Fogelman Arena on Saturday evening. Waitari Marsh is the long-time veteran of the group, with five years of service at Tulane (he redshirted the 1999-2000 season), while Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann have both lettered for the past four years. Nick Sinville, joined the Green Wave after two years at Minnesota, while Byron Parker is a junior college transfer with two years of tenure at Tulane. Those five players have combined to play in 478 games while scoring 4,177 points, dishing out 993 assists and grabbing 1,649 rebounds.
CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT
With seven Conference USA victories, Tulane coach Shawn Finney has continued to show improvement in his tenure at Tulane. After posting a 9-21 record in his first year as head coach, the Green Wave improved to 14-15 last year and won just its second Conference USA playoff game in league history. Finney's league wins have climbed each year as well, from two to five to his current total.
SCENARIO SCENE
The upcoming C-USA Tournament is clear as far as which 12 teams will play in it, however, not much else has been settled. Marquette (13-2) and Memphis (12-3) will be the top two seeds as the divisional champions. Louisville (10-5) has clinched a first-round bye. Cincinnati (9-6) currently holds the fourth slot, however, if the Bearcats lose to Marquette on Saturday and Saint Louis (8-7) defeats last-place East Carolina, then the Billikens will move to fourth. A possible scenario would leave UAB, Charlotte, DePaul, South Florida and Tulane all tied at 8-8 (Tulane wins that tiebreaker). If Tulane loses on Saturday, the Green Wave will finish 7-9 in league and will be the likely ninth seed. Southern Miss (5-10) and Houston (6-9) are currently in the bottom two slots of the tournament teams.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
In its first 16 games, the Green Wave had one game decided by less than 10 points (a loss to UCF). In its last 11 games, 10 have been decided by less than 10 points. Tulane has posted a 6-4 mark in those games.
1,000-400-400
Waitari Marsh joined an exclusive club on Feb. 26 as he surpassed 400 assists and 400 rebounds in the Houston game. He is the second player in school history to score 1,000 points and tally 400 rebounds and 400 assists. The senior has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 18 games and leads the team with 16.5 points per game in league games. The biggest evidence of his value is that he has missed all or parts of eight games due to a nagging ankle injury and Tulane lost four of those games. The Chicago native has led Tulane in scoring nine times, in assists 11 times and in rebounding four times. The biggest improvement on his game this season has been his shooting, as he is connecting on 45.6 percent of his shots; he entered the year at 40.8 percent for his career.
SOUTH FLORIDA SENIORS STEP UP
South Florida celebrated Senior Day in style on Wednesday, shooting 62 percent in the second half to pull away for a 72-60 win at the Sun Dome. Tulane pulled within one at 43-42 with 13:25 to go, but the Bulls used a 21-6 run to put the game out of reach. Tulane shot just 38.5 percent from the field in the game against a tough USF zone. Brandon Spann led the Wave with 15 points, while Brandon Brown added 12 points (and nine rebounds) and Wayne Tinsley chipped in with 10 points.
Game Story and Stats
SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss comes into Saturday's game with a 12-14 overall record and a 5-10 mark in C-USA play. After a tough stretch of nine losses in 10 games, the Golden Eagles clinched a slot in the upcoming C-USA Tourney with wins in two out of three games, including the Feb. 22 defeat of the Green Wave. Leading the way for Southern Miss is transfer Charles Gaines (from Southwest Missouri State), who has 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Juco transfer Greg Johnson has 12.9 points per game while another newcomer, redshirt freshman Jasper Johnson has 11.0 points per outing.
DOUBLE OT
Tulane's double overtime loss to Saint Louis on March 1 was the Green Wave's first overtime game of the year and just the 13th game of 50 minutes or longer in school history. The last double overtime game for Tulane was on Feb. 27, 1999, an 81-76 win over South Florida on the road. The longest games in school history were a pair of four-overtime thrillers. The first was a 113-106 loss to North Carolina at the Superdome on Feb. 14, 1976, and the other was a 75-71 loss to UNO on Jan. 29, 1983, also in the 'Dome.
THE MINUTE MAN
Brandon Brown, who led Conference USA in minutes per game last year, is once again piling up the playing time in 2002-03. The senior played all 50 minutes in Tulane's double-overtime battle with Saint Louis on March 1 and with 35 more minutes against USF, he now has 950 minutes (33.9 per game). With 50 more minutes (in a guaranteed two games), the Houma native will crack 1,000 minutes for the season for the third time in his career. Jerald Honeycutt (1994-97) is the only other player in school history to achieve that feat. Brown, who played just 66 minutes as a freshman, currently has 3,037 career minutes, 10th all-time at Tulane.
STOP THIEF!
Tulane super-sub Byron Parker has used his athletic ability to spark the Green Wave throughout this season. He currently ranks 14th in Conference USA in steals per game with 1.32. However, Parker has played far fewer minutes than the other leaders. In fact, the Stone Mountain, Ga., native is averaging 3.70 steals per 40 minutes, second-best in the league. UAB's Eric Bush leads the league in both steals per game (3.04, fourth in the nation) and steals per 40 minutes (3.97).
LAST TIME VS. SOUTHERN MISS
Tulane worked its way to a 35-28 halftime advantage on Feb. 22 against Southern Miss. However, in the second half, the Golden Eagles nailed over 60 percent of their shots while connecting on 17-of-19 free throws to catch up and pull away in a 76-72 victory. Brandon Brown had a three-point attempt which would have tied it up with five seconds to go, but his effort was off the mark. Waitari Marsh led the Wave with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Spann had 13 points and Wayne Tinsley had 12. Byron Parker tallied career-highs with seven rebounds and five steals.
Game Story and Stats
INJURY STRIKES AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN
Tulane continues to be assaulted by the injury bug. Junior Ivan Pjevcevic, who had started 10 straight games, sprained his foot in practice on March 3 and missed the South Florida game, the 12th full game that the Green Wave has lost to injury or illness this year. Last year, the Wave lost just one full game to injury. Backup point guard Marcus Kinzer, who missed the Feb. 20 Southern Miss game continues to be hampered by a bruised foot, while Waitari Marsh has battled ankle problems all season. The Wave's leading scorer, Marsh missed four full games early in the year due to a sprained ankle and has also missed parts of four other games due to similar injuries. Nick Sinville, was out for the full TCU game and missed half of the Cincy and UAB games due to illness. Ben Benfield, George Brown and Wayne Tinsley have also missed entire games this year.
LOW-SCORING WINS
Tulane's 56 points in a winning effort against Houston was its lowest winning total this season. Last year, the Wave upended Saint Louis in the opening round of the C-USA Tournament with just 50 points. In 1999-2000, the Green Wave had three wins when scoring less than 56 points.
DEFENSE IS THE KEY
Not surprisingly, defense has proven to be the key for the Green Wave. Tulane is 8-3 this season when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. When the foes get hot, hitting over 50 percent of their shots, Tulane has a 1-5 record, including Wednesday's loss at South Florida. In victories, Tulane is shooting 49.8 percent from the field, while holding opponents to 38.4 percent shooting. In its losses, the Wave is shooting 43.3 percent from the field while allowing its foes 47.0 percent shooting.
FRIENDLY FOGELMAN
With three straight home wins, the Green Wave is back on track in Fogelman Arena, improving its record in the 70-year old gym to 12-3 this year. In 65 years of basketball at Fogelman, Tulane has posted a 513-249 (.673) record, while in two-plus years under Shawn Finney, the Wave is 24-11 in the building. Tulane has one home game remaining this season.
PASSING FANCY
While Tulane's top assist man (Waitari Marsh with 3.4 per game) ranks just 13th in Conference USA, the Green Wave as a team ranks sixth in the league with 15.68 assists per game. The Wave has five players with 40 or more assists, four with 60 or more assists and three with 70 or more assists. Four other league teams (Charlotte, Marquette, Memphis and Southern Miss) have four 40+ assist-men and four schools have two 70+ passers, but none can match Tulane's variety of dime-droppers.
FREE THROWS, PART ONE
Successful free-throw shooting is proving to be critical to Green Wave success this year as the Wave had won all 11 of its games when shooting a better percentage from the line than its opponent. However, the Wave has lost its last two games despite shooting better than its opponent from the line. Saint Louis outshot the Wave (75.0% - 69.0%), while the stat is deceptive against South Florida as Tulane was just 3-for-6. In addition, Tulane is 12-1 when making more free throws than its opponent, while just 2-13 when hitting the same or fewer free throws than its opponent.
FREE THROWS, PART TWO
Tulane is proving the adage true in two ways this season. In its 14 victories, the Wave has connected on 70.5 percent (217-of-308) of its free throws while in its 14 losses that percentage drops to 62.1 percent (133-of-214). However, the Wave is also playing poor "free-throw defense." While not a true stat, as there is obviously no defense on free throws, Tulane's opponents are connecting on 75.4 percent (221-of-293) of their free throws when beating the Wave, but shooting just 64.6 percent (124-of-192) from the line when losing to Tulane.
3,000
Brandon Spann, Brandon Brown and Waitari Marsh have combined for 3,592 points in their Green Wave careers. All three reached the 1,000-point milestone this season, marking the first time Tulane had three players reach that mark in the same year. It is just the third time in school history that three 1,000-point scorers played together at Tulane: 1994-95 (Jerald Honeycutt, LeVeldro Simmons, Kim Lewis) and 1995-96 (Jerald Honeycutt, LeVeldro Simmons and Rayshard Allen).
IT HASN'T BEEN EASY
Tulane's schedule so far has proven to be quite difficult as the teams that the Wave has lost to have produced a combined record of 200-122 (.621). Here is the breakdown of the team's Tulane has lost to:
Team (Record): Next; Note
Kentucky (25-3): 3/8; One of hottest in nation, No. 2 in nation
Marquette (22-4): 3/8; C-USA Division champ, ranked No. 8
Memphis (21-5): 3/8; C-USA Division champ, No. 18 in AP poll
Rice (18-9): 3/8; Have not lost back-to-back games
LSU (18-9): 3/8; Winners of 4 straight and 6 of last 8
Cincinnati (17-9): 3/8; No. 21 RPI in nation
UCF (20-10): 3/7; Atlantic Sun semifinals against Jacksonville
Saint Louis (14-12): 3/8; Winners of 6 straight, No. 46 in RPI
UNO (15-13): 3/7; Lost top player to injury, in Sun Belt Tourney
Vanderbilt (10-16): 3/8; Started 8-2, then struggled through SEC
TCU (8-19): 3/8; Tulane led game until Marsh injury
Southern Miss (12-14): 3/8; Beat TU at home where 11-4 during '02-03
SHOOTING SPANN
Brandon Spann, who ranks second all-time at Tulane in three-pointers, had his best performance of the year on Feb. 1 against East Carolina. The senior drilled a career-best six three-pointers (one off the school record) and scored 20 points to lead Tulane to its second league victory. Spann now has 1,287 career points (14th all-time), 339 assists (seventh all-time) and 160 three-pointers.
1,000-500
When senior Brandon Brown scored his 1,000th career point on Jan. 14, he became the 13th player in Tulane history to tally 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career. The Houma, La., native now has 1,186 points (16th all-time) and 631 rebounds (13th all-time).
PASSES AND STEALS, TOO!
The points and the rebounds from Brandon Brown have been expected, especially this season, but in addition to those stats, he has been impressive with assists and steals as well. The 68 assists this year for Brown are a career-best (48 in 2000-01) and rank third on the team. The senior's 37 steals are tied for first on the team and are 19 more than he recorded ALL of last season.
DON'T NEED 70?
After struggling for victories when struggling to score for much of the season, Tulane tightened up its defense and won four straight games when scoring less than 70 points; however, that streak was snapped by South Florida on Wednesday. The team's first eight victories all required 70-point efforts. The Green Wave is now 10-5 when scoring 70 points or more and 4-9 when not reaching that mark. Last year, when scoring 70 or more points, the Green Wave posted a 12-4 record. However, in games where points were more scarce, the team record was just 2-11.
80 IS ENOUGH
Prior to the loss to TCU in the teams' first meeting, Tulane had been a perfect 6-0 when scoring 80 or more points this season after posting a 6-2 record last year in 80-point outings. In Coach Finney's first season at the helm of the Wave, Tulane tallied an 8-3 record in 80-point efforts, making him 21-6 all-time when his teams post 80 or more points.
STREAKING
Tulane's four-game winning streak in league play was its longest since the 1999-2000 season when the Green Wave defeated Southern Miss, South Florida, UAB and Houston, with the final three coming at home. The last five-game conference win streak for Tulane was during the 1996-97 season when it won seven straight in league play.
THE GRAND PLAN
On Feb. 4 at Houston, senior Waitari Marsh tallied 18 points to finish the game with exactly 1,000 career points, becoming the third player this year to reach that milestone for the Wave. On Jan. 11 against Marquette, senior Brandon Brown was the second addition to the 1,000-point Club, connecting on a three-pointer from the corner with 11:31 to go in the half to become the 26th member. That pair join teammate Brandon Spann in the exclusive club. Spann entered the season needing 50 points and reached the impressive milestone in the first half of the UCF game (11/29) with a free throw with 6:36 to go.
NON-LEAGUE WRAP-UP
Tulane closed its non-league schedule with a 7-6 mark this season. Last year, the Wave had an 8-3 mark in non-conference action, while in Coach Finney's first year, Tulane posted a 7-6 mark as well.
IN THE ARENA
The LSU game was Tulane's 17th game in the New Orleans Arena, and the second of the 2002-03 season. The Kentucky game (Dec. 10) was the first Arena college basketball game since the arrival of the NBA's Hornets. The Green Wave now has an 8-9 record in its downtown home.
BIG EASY CLASSICS
New Orleans fans have the opportunity to catch the Wave 21 times without leaving the city this season. In addition to 18 Fogelman Arena games (including two exhibitions), two games were played at the New Orleans Arena and one was played on the road at Lakefront Arena.
HOME COOKIN'
The Green Wave has four players from the state of Louisiana, including three members of its starting lineup. Brandon Spann is a New Orleans native who attended Jesuit High School, located less than three miles from Fogelman Arena. Spann's older brother, Tookie, played baseball and football at Tulane from 1985-87. Brandon Brown is from Houma, located 60 miles southwest of New Orleans; Nick Sinville's hometown of Shreveport is 340 miles northwest of the Big Easy. The other Bayou State product is Ben Benfield, who is from River Ridge, a New Orleans suburb.
GREAT RATES
In the latest graduation rates figures released by the NCAA, Tulane once again ranks among the national leaders in terms of graduating its student-athletes, and also its men's basketball players. In fact, Tulane's graduation rate of 64% for the four-class average ranks it second among Conference USA programs. The Wave's 100% number for the 1995-96 cohort alone matches two other C-USA schools. The Green Wave's graduation rate of 78% for all student-athletes was 12th nationally and ranked ahead of all other Louisiana and Conference USA schools.
COACHES POLL
Tulane was selected No. 2 in the National Division in a preseason poll of Conference USA Coaches. The Green Wave is behind only Memphis, while Cincinnati was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the American Division and overall.
CONFERENCE USA COACHES PRESEASON POLL
NATIONAL
1. Memphis
2. Tulane
3. Houston
4. TCU
5. South Florida
6. Southern Miss
7. UAB
AMERICAN
1. Cincinnati
2. Marquette
3. Louisville
4. Charlotte
5. Saint Louis
6. East Carolina
7. DePaul
PERRY LIFTS SAINT LOUIS OVER WAVE
Saint Louis star Marque Perry led the Billikens to a 76-74 double-overtime victory over Tulane on Saturday afternoon. The senior scored 27 points, including 10 in the overtime periods. His biggest shot came with 2.3 seconds remaining in the first OT when he nailed his only three-pointer of the game to knot the game and force a second OT. The Billikens built a three-point lead with 23.4 seconds to go, but Brandon Spann was fouled on a three-point attempt with four seconds to go. The Green Wave senior made the first two foul shots, but his third was off the mark and Saint Louis rebounded to clinch the victory. Brandon Brown led the Wave with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Spann had 16 points and six assists and Waitari Marsh had 17 points.
Game Story and Stats
PJEVCEVIC LIFTS GREEN WAVE
Junior Ivan Pjevcevic keyed a late Green Wave rally on Feb. 26 and Tulane upended Houston, 56-52, at Fogelman Arena. The Wave trailed 52-46 with three minutes to go, but held the Cougars scoreless the rest of the way while big Ivan knocked down a pair of three-pointers, including the go-ahead hoop with 57 seconds remaining. Pjevcevic finished with a team-high 15 points, while Brandon Brown added 12 points and nine rebounds. Wayne Tinsley chipped in 10 points in the victory. Despite shooting just 41.2 percent from the field, the Wave out-rebounded Houston, 35-32, and held the Cougars to 42.6 percent shooting.
Game Story and Stats
GOLDEN EAGLES HEAT UP IN SECOND HALF
Tulane worked its way to a 35-28 halftime advantage on Feb. 22 against Southern Miss. However, in the second half, the Golden Eagles nailed over 60 percent of their shots while connecting on 17-of-19 free throws to catch up and pull away in a 76-72 victory. Brandon Brown had a three-point attempt which would have tied it up with five seconds to go, but his effort was off the mark. Waitari Marsh led the Wave with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Brandon Spann had 13 points and Wayne Tinsley had 12. Byron Parker tallied career-highs with seven rebounds and five steals.
Game Story and Stats
IT WASN'T PRETTY, BUT...
It was a win. The Green Wave shot just 35.4 percent on Feb. 18 as the South Florida zone defense baffled Tulane, but a strong defensive effort of its own and excellent free-throw shooting helped the Wave win, 68-65. The Bulls pulled within two with 2:23 to go, but Tulane scored six straight to pull away down the stretch, The Wave also scored 21 points off 17 Bull turnovers. Brandon Spann scored a game-high 16 points while, Waitari Marsh added 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds in the win.
Game Story and Stats
THE UAB GAME
Marcus Kinzer scored 10 of Tulane's final 12 points to lift the Green Wave to a 71-66 victory over UAB on Feb. 8 in Birmingham. Kinzer finished with a career-high 17 points. The Green Wave trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, but battled back to take the lead and then held on for the victory behind Kinzer's efforts. Tulane held the Blazers to 39.7 percent shooting while connecting on 45.6 percent of its own shots. For the third time this season, five players scored in double figures for the Wave. Waitari Marsh had 12 points, while Nick Sinville posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
UAB Story and Stats
EXECUTING THE GAME PLAN
Tulane entered its game with Houston on Jan. 4, hoping to slow down the two Cogar stars, Louis Truscott and Andrew Owens. And the Wave achieved its goal perfectly, holding the duo to just 12 points combined. Truscott had come in averaging 16.6 points, while Owens had 14.9; they finished with eight and four, respectively. Meanwhile, Tulane managed enough offense against the tough Houston defense to escape with its first road victory of the year. The Wave shot just 44.9 percent from the field and missed 14-of-17 three-pointers, but it connected on 75 percent of its free throws, including 9-of-10 in the final 1:38 to wrap up the victory. Waitari Marsh led the Wave with 18 points, while sophomore Marcus Kinzer scored a season high 12 points (on perfect 4-for-4 shooting). Wayne Tinsley chipped in with 10 points.
Houston Story and Stats
TWO IN A ROW
Tulane played an excellent defensive game and had strong performances from Brandon Spann and Waitari Marsh to pick up its second straight victory, 67-56 over East Carolina on Feb. 1. The Green Wave shot just 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field, but held ECU to 37.7 percent (23-of-61) shooting, while building a 39-34 advantage on the glass. Spann connected for a career-best six three-pointers on route to 20 points, while Marsh had 19 points and eight rebounds. Wayne Tinsley added 15 points, eight borads and five assists.
ECU Story and Stats
BEATING THE BLAZERS
The Green Wave had a key victory on Jan. 25, cracking the victory column in Conference USA play with a 75-72 triumph over UAB. Tulane's defense proved to be the difference as the Wave held UAB to 36.5 percent shooting in a game in which it never trailed. UAB managed to tie the game with 4:24 to go and then again with 3:35 remaining, but each time, the Green Wave responded. Brandon Brown tallied 16 points and eight rebounds, while Ivan Pjevcevic, making his first career start, had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Wayne Tinsley notched a season-high 15 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the floor.
UAB Story and Stats
RESERVES NOT ENOUGH
After building a 16-point advantage in the first half, an under-manned Tulane squad could not hold on as TCU pulled away for a 93-84 victory on Wednesday. Starting power forward Nick Sinville missed the game due to illness and leading scorer Waitari Marsh sprained his ankle with 13:33 to go (and a game-high 20 points) and missed the remainder of the game. The Wave held a 55-54 lead before Marsh's injury and TCU heated up with 60 percent shooting in the second half to go with 21-of-26 marksmanship from the foul line in the victory. Brandon Brown added 18 points and six rebounds while Wayne Tinsley had a season-high 14 points.
TCU Story and Stats
STOKES THE FIRE
Leonard Stokes erupted for 30 points on Saturday to lead Cincinnati to a 77-54 victory over the Green Wave at the Shoemaker Center. Tulane had 16 points from Waitari Marsh and a double-double from Brandon Brown (13 points, 11 rebounds), but shot just 42.6 percent and turned the ball over 20 times. Tulane pulled within four with 16:21 to go in the game, but the Bearcats fed Stokes, who scored 10 of the next 12 points to take control of the game. Cincinnati shot 51.9 percent from the field.
Cincinnati Story and Stats
MARQUETTE WRAP-UP
Tulane hosted No. 21 Marquette on Tuesday evening at Fogelman Arena, and had to deal with a sterling performance from All-American Dwyane Wade, who matched his career-high with 35 points (on 13-of-16 shooting). Despite a career-best day from its own Waitari Marsh (30 points, 27 in the second half), the Green Wave fell 85-73. Marsh put the team on his back and pulled them within two at 61-59 with 7:11 to go, but six points from Robert Jackson and a Wade layup pushed the margin back to 10. In addition to Marsh's effort, Brandon Brown tallied 16 points (including the 1,000th of his career) and eight rebounds.
Marquette Story and Stats
DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN MORRIS BROWN
On Jan. 4, Tulane put on a clinic against Morris Brown in an 88-30 victory. The Wave held the Wolverines to 20.7 percent (12-of-58) shooting while shooting 55.0 percent (33-of-60) itself. In addition, Tulane handed out a season-high 27 assists and committed a season-low 10 turnovers (for the third game in a row). Twelve different players scored, while Ivan Pjevcevic came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points, including four three-pointers. Nick Sinville connected on 7-of-8 shots to finish with 15 points while Waitari Marsh collected 11.
Morris Brown Story and Stats
DO IT AGAIN
After losing to the Green Wave last season at home, Georgia Tech came to New Orleans with revenge on its mind. But Tulane had a different idea as five players scored in double figures in an 80-66 Green Wave triumph. The Wave shot 51.7 percent from the field and committed just 10 turnovers while holding the Yellow Jackets to 41.1 percent shooting and forcing 16 turnovers. Nick Sinville had team-bests of 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann each added 15 points while Byron Parker came off the bench for a career-high 12 points.
Georgia Tech Story and Stats
RIVALRY RETURNS
Tulane and LSU met on the hardwood for the first time in 20 years on Saturday and the Tigers held on for a 74-62 victory at the New Orleans Arena. The Green Wave and the Tigers played as part of the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic at the New Orleans Arena. Tulane was led by a career-high 27 points from senior Waitari Marsh, who added eight rebounds as well. Brandon Brown tallied 14 points while Nick Sinville added 11. The Wave was torched by LSU's three-point shooting as the Tigers nailed 11-of-21 shots from behind the arc.
LSU Story and Stats
TWO IN A ROW
Tulane had its second straight rout on Monday, cruising to a 94-70 victory over Jackson State at Fogelman Arena. The Wave jumped out to a 30-6 lead and never looked back, shooting 55.9 percent (33-of-59) from the floor while holding the Tigers to just 35.0 percent (28-of-80) shooting. Brandon Brown led the way with 19 points while Brandon Spann (16), Nick Sinville (15) and Wayne Tinsley (11) also hit for double figures. Seven different players had at least five rebounds as Tulane controlled the glass as well, 52-34.
Jackson State Story and Stats
SHUTTING DOWN SAVANNAH
Tulane played its most complete game of the year on Dec. 20, exploding for 103 points while holding Savannah State to just 47 points in a blowout victory in which no player saw more than 20 minutes of action. Tulane shot 51.6 percent from the field while holding the Tigers to 30 percent. Freshman Vytautas Tatarunas led the Wave with 18 points while sophomore Ben Benfield added a career-best 17 points.
Savannah State Story and Stats
WINNING WILDCATS
Tulane had its hands full on Dec. 10 with 12th-ranked Kentucky visiting the New Orleans Arena. The Wildcats topped the Wave 76-60 behind a deadly inside-outside attack. Its mammoth frontline started things and swingman Keith Bogans (21 points, 5-for-5 three-pointers) finished them for UK. The Wave was led by Waitari Marsh, who scored a season-high 19 points, including a career-best five three-pointers.
Kentucky Story and Stats
SHOOTING SLUMP
Tulane went ice cold from the floor against Vanderbilt on Dec. 7, connecting on just 32.8 percent of its shots. Despite playing solid defense (Vandy shot 43.3 percent), the Wave lost by 20 points, 66-46. A second-half rally cut the deficit to six at 48-42, but the Commodores closed the night with an 18-4 run. Brandon Brown was the lone Wave player in double figures with 13 points. He also added nine rebounds.
Vanderbilt Story and Stats
UNO RECAP
UNO jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead on Dec. 5 and the held off numerous Green wave rallies on route to an 80-67 victory. Tulane was victimized by 38.9 percent (7-of-18) shooting from the free throw line and 22 turnovers. Brandon Spann tallied 15 points to lead the Wave, while Brandon Brown logged a 14-point evening. Nick Sinville and Waitari Marsh each had 11 points in the loss.
UNO Story and Stats
UNIVERSITY HOOPS CLASSIC
Tulane had a strong showing at the University Hoops Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at Fogelman Arena. The Wave finished third place in an event, which was won by UCF on a last second shot. Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann both earned all-tournament honors as Brown averaged 18.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 69 percent from the field. Spann, meanwhile, had 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Junior Ivan Pjevcevic also had a strong tourney, twice establishing career-highs and averaging 10.7 points per game, including 6-of-9 three-point shooting in the three games.
THE SEMO GAME - DECEMBER 1
The Green Wave played perhaps its best game of the year on Dec. 1, cruising to an 81-60 victory over Southeast Missouri to claim third place at the University Hoops Classic. Brandon Brown scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added nine rebounds in the victory, while Brandon Spann had 14 points and nine assists and junior Ivan Pjevcevic scored a career-high 15 points. The Wave nailed 64.2 percent of its shots, while holding the Indians to 43.6 percent shooting.
SEMO Game Story and Stats
THE UCF GAME - NOVEMBER 29
A lack of offensive rhythm continued to plague the Green Wave, which fell, 66-61, to UCF on Nov. 29 in round two of the University Hoops Classic. Tulane shot just 37.3 percent from the field overall and 31.8 percent in the first half. Tulane used an early second half run to take its first lead of the game at 41-39, but then went over six minutes without a point as the Golden Knights scored just enough to take charge of the contest. Brandon Brown and Brandon Spann each had 17 points and five assists, while Brown added a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Ben Benfield scored a career-high 13 points.
UCF Game Story and Stats
THE MAINE GAME - NOVEMBER 28
Tulane took advantage of its size and power on Thanksgiving Day in its opener at the University Hoops Classic with an 84-65 victory over Maine. The Wave dominated in the paint and out-rebounded the Black Bears, 44-26, to offset 12 three-points by the foe. Maine attempted just 18 shots from inside the arc (37 from downtown). Brandon Brown tallied his first double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Brandon Spann had 18 and Nick Sinville scored 17.
Maine Game Story and Stats
BRAGGING RIGHTS
Tulane and Loyola met for the third straight year to battle for Uptown bragging rights on Nov. 25 at Fogelman Arena. The Green Wave struggled with the tenacious Wolfpack, but still managed to earn a 74-58 victory. Brandon Brown and Nick Sinville each tallied 16 points, while Brandon Spann added 15. The Wave held Loyola to just 35.5 percent shooting.
Loyola Game Story and Stats
