Tulane falls to Tulsa in C-USA quarterfinals
EL PASO, Texas - Jay Hook's 21 points where not enough for the No. 7 seed Tulane men's basketball team as the Green Wave bowed out of the 2014 Conference USA Championships with a 70-49 loss to second-seeded Tulsa in the quarterfinal round on Thursday afternoon at UTEP's Don Haskins Center.
Hook knocked down five three-pointers for the Green Wave (17-16, 8-8 C-USA) and tied the school record for three-pointers in a season with 81.
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"Credit Tulsa with finding a way to be successful today," Tulane head coach Ed Conroy said. "But I'm awfully proud of my guys and how far they've come this year.
Tulsa (19-12, 13-3 C-USA) scored the first six points of the game and led for all but a few moments when Tulane tied the score at 13-13 after a three-point play by Louis Dabney with 10:14 left in the half. The Golden Hurricane then rattled off seven straight points.
Tulane then chipped away and cut the deficit back to one, 22-21, after Hook sank three straight free throws with 3:28 left in the half. Tulsa used a run of six-straight to build the lead back and then held a 33-29 advantage at the break.
After the Green Wave closed to within two early in the second half on a three-pointer by Hook, Tulsa scored 10 straight points to take a double digit lead and the Green Wave was not able to get closer than six the rest of the game.
"I'm pleased with our guys for following the scouting report," Conroy added. "We did some things we haven't done much of this year to try to throw them off balance. I thought we succeeded with that in the first half for the most part."
Jonathan Stark scored 14 points for Tulane, while Tre Drye pulled down 12 rebounds in the loss.
James Woodard led Tulsa with a game-high 24 points, while Rashad Smith scored 13 and D'Andre Wright added 10.
Tulane shot 45.5 percent from the floor in the first half, but managed to knock down just six-of-26 field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes which allowed Tulsa to pull away.
The Golden Hurricane shot 47.2 percent from the floor in the game, including 50.0 percent in the first half.
Tulsa advanced in the C-USA Championships to face either Old Dominion or Middle Tennessee State in the semifinals at 4 p.m. CT on Friday.
GAME NOTES
- Jay Hook's five 3-pointers in today's game moved the junior into a tie for first place on Tulane single season list. Hook has 81 this season, tying former teammate Jordan Callahan (2012-13).
- Jonathan Stark scored in double figures in today's game with his 14 points, marking the freshman's 26th double figure scoring game of the season.
- Hook scored in double figures in today's game with his 21 points. It is his 22nd double digit scoring game of the season and the 23rd of his career. Today marks the sixth 20-plus point game of Hook's season and career.
- Tre Drye pulled down 12 rebounds in today's game, marking the 11th game this season with double figures in rebounds and the 14th game of his career.
- Stark's three assists today gives the freshman 140 dishes this season and sits in sixth-place on Tulane's single-season list.