Second half dooms Tulane at East Carolina

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Tulane University men’s basketball (13-12, 4-9) was unable to overcome a red-hot second half by East Carolina (14-12, 7-6) as the Green Wave dropped its third consecutive game 81-67 on Sunday afternoon. The Wave trailed by just five at the half, but 16-1 second half run by the Pirates put Tulane in a deficit it was unable to climb out of down the stretch.

As a team, the Green Wave shot 46.7 percent from the field to 51.7 percent by ECU. Tulane also knocked down eight three-pointers but was bested by 11 makes from downtown by the Pirates. The charity stripe ended in favor of the Green Wave as Tulane hit 17-of-20 for 85.0 percent from the line.

Turnovers proved to be costly for the Wave as Tulane ended with 16 turnovers resulting 23 points for ECU.

Jaylen Forbes led four players with double-digit points for the Green Wave finishing with 21 on 7-of-13 shooting including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. With his performance the senior guard moved into third all-time in scoring in the American Athletic Conference at 1,722 points and second in league history in made threes at 281.

Following Forbes in the scoring column was Sion James with 12 points to go with four rebounds and a pair of assists. Tre’ Williams finished with points and a team-high seven rebounds. Williams has scored double figures in seven of the 10 conference games he has appeared in this season. Rounding out the top performers for the Wave was Collin Holloway with 10 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

The Pirates were led by a pair of 20-point performances by RJ Felton with 21 points and Brandon Johnson with 20.

Tulane claimed the early advantage in the first half after Forbes scored eight quick points in the opening four minutes of the contest. The Wave held its largest lead of the day at eight points twice in the opening half before ECU battled back to tie the game with just over 12 minutes on the clock.

The Green Wave and the Pirates went back-and-forth over the next few minutes the half until ECU took an eight-point lead of its own. The Wave pulled back within three in the final minute but the Pirates got the final bucket of the frame as Tulane trailed 38-33 at the half.

After the Wave tied the game at 41-41 on a three-pointer by Forbes with 18:13 to play, ECU took control of the contest with 13 unanswered points. Tulane would go on to trail by as many as 16 points in the second half before ultimately falling by a final score of 81-67.

Up next, Tulane will host UAB in Uptown of Sunday, February 25. Tipoff between the Green Wave and the Blazers is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2023-24 season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center. Men’s basketball season tickets are available for just $75 and women’s basketball season tickets start at just $50.

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For behind-the-scenes coverage, follow Tulane men’s basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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 at NolaBuilt.com.