Tulane rolls past South Dakota State, 84-80, in Gulf Coast Classic

NEW ORLEANS – Caleb Daniels led four Green Wave players in double-figure scoring with a personal-best 24 points to lead the Tulane men’s basketball team to an 84-80 victory over South Dakota State in the first round of the 2018 Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena.

Daniels scored 18 of his 24 in the first half and finished the day shooting 9-for-16 overall, while Shakwon Barrett poured in a career-high 19 points with a 7-for-7 performance at the free throw line. Jordan Cornish added 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Samir Sehic chipped in 15 points and nine boards.

Mike Daum led the Jackrabbits (3-2) with 28 points and 13 rebounds while making six 3-pointers, as David Jenkins contributed 23 points.

In a first half that featured 11 lead changes and three ties, the Green Wave (2-1) got off to a nearly perfect start, making six of their first seven shots, including four of five from 3-point range from four different players, creating an early 16-8 advantage and forcing the Jackrabbits to call a timeout with 16:11 remaining.

South Dakota State regathered itself and punched back over the next three minutes however, racing out on an 8-0 scoring run to claim its first lead of the day, 18-16. The run extended to 19 consecutive points, as the Jackrabbits built their first double-digit advantage, 27-16, on a trey by Skyler Flatten with 10:54 left.

The Green Wave fought back however, getting the deficit back to just three, 35-32, on a jumper by Barrett at the 5:18 mark. The Wave continued their rally with consecutive threes by Cornish and Daniels to regain the edge, 38-36, with 4:17 to play. The lead would change hands multiple times in the final four minutes, before Bul Ajang sunk a 10-foot baseline shot from the weak side in the waning seconds to send both teams into halftime deadlocked at 47.

Tulane shot 18-for-33 (.545) overall, 7-for-13 (.538) beyond the arc and made four of five free throws in the first half, while South Dakota State went 17-for-31 (.548) from the field, 9-for-14 (.643) from outside and shot the same clip as the Wave at the foul stripe.

Much like the first half, the Green Wave raced out of the gates to open the second period, hitting five of their first six shots to open up a 61-54 advantage after just three-plus minutes.

Tulane built its first double-digit lead, 68-58, after a layup by Sehic at the 11:46 mark, but the Jackrabbits responded with seven consecutive points to pull within three.

South Dakota State remained within striking distance for the final 10 minutes of action, continuing to chip away at its deficit, before a try by Daum gave the Jackrabbits the lead, 79-78 with 1:24 left.

Jenkins made one of two free throws with 30 seconds to go in the game, forcing a timeout by head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. Out of the break, Daniels turned the momentum on its head when he raced to the other end and completed a three-point play with 16 seconds remaining, putting Tulane back in front, 81-80.

South Dakota State came up empty on the subsequent possession and fouled Barrett, who connected on a pair of free throws with five ticks on the clock.

Up by three, the Green Wave fouled before half court, but the Jackrabbits missed the first of two free throws. After calling a timeout, Tevin King intentionally missed a free throw, but Blake Paul corralled the rebound and was fouled with one second left to seal the victory.

Tulane shot 30-for-69 (.435) overall and made nine 3-pointers, while the Jackrabbits shot 28-for-62 (.452) from the field and made 14 of 27 3-point attempts.