Tulane Men’s Basketball grounds Southern Miss, 58-38

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane men’s basketball team improved to 3-0 on the year with a convincing 58-38 win over Southern Miss on Wednesday evening at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Tulane’s defensive effort paved the way for the Green Wave’s fourth consecutive win over Southern Miss (1-2), as they held the Golden Eagles to just 24.5 percent shooting from the field.

Making his second career start, sophomore guard R.J. McGee registered his first double-double with a career-high 15 points over a personal-best 11 rebounds.

“I’m excited about what we did defensively tonight,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and this group can be really special defensively because we can guard at every position, and we are deep at it. I love how we played defensively, and it’s going to give us a chance to win every game.”

USM’s 38 points were tied for the fewest points Tulane has ever allowed in the 81 meetings with the Golden Eagles. In addition, Tulane held an opponent to under 40 points for the first time since 2010.

Tulane swarmed Southern Miss in the early going, limiting the Golden Eagles to just six points in the first seven minutes of the game. Tulane took a 24-12 lead into halftime and held the Golden Eagles to just 18.5 shooting in the first half.

The Green Wave continued their defensive pressure coming out of the locker room, as they held USM to just six points in the first five minutes of the second half.

McGee was the story of the second half, as he scored all 15 of his points in the final 20 minutes, connecting on 5-of-7 shots from the field after going 0-for-2 in the first half. The Chicago native scored the Green Wave’s first six points of the second half to push Tulane’s lead to 17 points.

“I think R.J. McGee is playing great basketball right now,” Hunter added.

Redshirt junior Jordan Walker also had a strong night, as he poured in 15 points, connecting on 5-of-7 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also handed out a game-high six assists.

Sophomore Jaylen Forbes and freshman Jadan Coleman also chipped in with eight and seven points, respectively.

“I thought Jadan Coleman coming off the bench really gave us a lift, but right now it’s early,” Hunter said. “This group really hasn’t played together, so it’s going to take a while to get ourselves going offensively.”

Tulane’s second half lead never fell below double digits, as it secured the win.

The Green Wave also outrebounded USM, 40-34, and forced the Golden Eagles into 18 turnovers. In addition, Tulane was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.

The Green Wave will be back in action against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, December 12, at Fogelman in Devlin. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m., and the matchup will be aired live on ESPN+.