Tulane falls to Saint Louis in Phoenix, 86-62

PHOENIX – The Tulane men’s basketball team fell victim to a lights-out shooting barrage by Saint Louis in an 86-62 setback in the 2019 Jerry Colangelo Classic at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

K.J. Lawson led Tulane (7-2) with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Nic Thomas made five 3s off the bench as part of a 16-point effort. Teshaun Hightower also reached double-figures with 12 points.

Saint Louis (8-1) placed three scorers in double-figures and made a school-record 17 3-pointers, led by Gibson Jimerson’s 22 points off the bench. Hasahn French tallied a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Jordan Goodwin also compiled a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 16 boards.

The Green Wave fell behind early due in part to some hot outside shooting by the Billikens who built a 13-9 advantage just over five minutes into the action. Saint Louis scored seven straight from that point to generate its first double-digit lead, 20-9, at the 11-minute mark.

Tulane had trouble finding some momentum, going over six minutes without a basket, until Hightower completed a three-point play with 8:18 left to keep the deficit at 11 points, 24-13. That ignited an 8-0 scoring run for the Wave, capped by a Hightower 3 with 6:32 to go, to pull within five.

The Billikens put on an impressive shooting display over the final six minutes of the half, connecting on 10 of their first 13 attempts from range, to build an 18-point advantage, 44-26, before Lawson’s fifth basket with 32 seconds left ended a 9-0 run by Saint Louis before halftime.

The Green Wave shot 11-for-25 (.440) from the field, made two shots beyond the 3-point line and four free throws in the first half. The Billikens shot a scorching 17-for-27 (.630) overall and 10-for-15 from outside while racking up a dozen assists.

Tulane’s defensive intensity picked up immediately to start the second half, as Saint Louis made just one of their first six shot attempts. The Green Wave took full advantage of the opportunity, ripping off a 9-0 scoring run in just over two minutes time to pull within 10 points, 47-37, on a second-chance layup by R.J. McGee with 15:52 remaining.

The Billikens expanded their lead back to 18 points in just five minutes, 61-43, as they had answers for every Green Wave basket down the stretch.

Tulane was unable to pin down Saint Louis in the waning minutes of the game, as the Billikens continued to convert from outside, pushing their advantage over 20 points and to as many as 25, before closing out the 86-62 win.

Tulane finished the day shooting 24-for-61 (.393) overall, 8-for-20 (.400) from distance and 6-for-16 (.375) at the foul stripe, while Saint Louis went 33-for-60 (.550) overall, 17-for-28 (.607) from 3-point range and 3-for-7 (.429) at the free throw line.

The Billikens owned a 42-33 rebounding advantage and a 16-9 scoring edge on second chances. The Green Wave outscore Saint Louis, 19-11, off turnovers.

Tulane will take an eight-day hiatus between games before returning to action at home on Monday, December 16 against Alcorn State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse and the game will be broadcast on the WatchESPN app.

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