#AmericanHoops Scoreboard
McNeese State 70, Tulane 63
SMU 72, Stanford 49
McNeese State 70, Tulane 63
NEW ORLEANS (tulanegreenwave.com) – Melvin Frazier scored a game-high 21 points, but Tulane went cold from the field in the second half of a 70-63 home loss to McNeese State on Monday evening at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.
Frazier made a career-high nine free throws, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded led all players with three steals, while Ryan Smith tied personal bests with 14 points and four blocks, but the Green Wave shot just 7-for-23 (.304) overall in the second half.
Stephen Ugochukwu posted a double-double comprising 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead McNeese State (3-7), while Jarren Greenwood added 14 points. Howard Thomas chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Both sides exchanged baskets through the first six minutes of the game, but no one on the court was as efficient as Smith, who made his first three shots of the night to help the Green Wave create an early 12-10 advantage.
Tulane (3-8) pushed the tempo and raced out on an 8-1 run over the subsequent minute and 50 seconds, capped by Smith’s fifth-straight field goal conversion, to build its largest lead of the half, 20-11, and forcing the Cowboys to call their first timeout with 11:11 remaining in the first half.
McNeese State would counter however, taking its first lead of the night, 26-25, after a three by Kalob Ledoux with 5:16 remaining. After a Reynolds triple put the Green Wave back on top by two, the Cowboys scored 10-straight points down to the 2:02 mark as part of a 10-2 run to close the half and took a 36-30 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
Tulane shot 12-for-29 (.414) from the field, 3-for-12 (.250) beyond the three-point line and 3-for-5 (.600) at the free throw line in the first 20 minutes, while McNeese State shot 15-for-32 (.469) overall, 4-for-11 (.364) from deep and 2-for-5 (.400) at the foul stripe. The Cowboys outscored the Wave, 13-2, off the bench in the period.
The Green Wave crept within five points, 42-37, but McNeese pushed the advantage into double digits, 51-40, with 13:41 remaining and created its largest lead of the game, 56-44, on a three by James Harvey with 10:50 to go.
Despite Tulane cutting that deficit in half at the 8:20 and 4:56 marks, the Cowboys had an answer for every quick scoring spurt, made their free throws down the stretch and closed out the seven-point victory.
McNeese State outscored the Green Wave, 34-26, in the paint, 14-4 off turnovers, 16-11 on second-chance baskets and 23-9 off the bench.
Tulane will close out its non-conference slate on Friday, Dec. 23 when it hosts Texas State. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3/WatchESPN.
SMU 72, Stanford 49
DALLAS (AP) Sterling Brown scored 16 points and SMU ran out to a 32-point lead in the first half of a 72-49 victory against Stanford on Monday night.
Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye had 13 points and seven rebounds in the 22nd consecutive non-conference home win for the Mustangs (9-3), who have won five straight since dropping a pair on the road at Southern California and Boise State.
SMU shot 59 percent in the first half to 21 percent for the Cardinal (8-4), going ahead 12-0, 30-7 and 44-12 in the most impressive showing under first-year coach Tim Jankovich, who replaced Larry Brown when the Hall of Famer abruptly resigned during the summer.
Stanford leading scorer Reid Travis didn't get a shot in the first half, when Cardinal starters scored one point. He scored all 10 of his points in the second half, while Marcus Sheffield led Stanford with 13 points.