BOX SCORE | POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
IRVING, Texas – Jordan Walker scored nine of his 24 points in the final three minutes and led tenth-seeded Tulane to a 77-70 win over No. 7 seed Tulsa in the first round of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Thursday, March 11, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Walker had a game-high 24 points and added seven assists, while teammate Jaylen Forbes posted 22 points and seven rebounds. The Green Wave (10-12) advance to face No. 2 Houston on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
The Golden Hurricane (11-12) led 60-56 with 6:57 before Tulane went on a 16-5 run over the next 5:10 to take a 72-65 lead with 47 seconds left. After a 3-pointer by Tulsa’s Brandon Rachal, Walker hit a pair of free throws before Tulsa’s Elijah Joiner made a layup to cut the lead to four at 74-70 with 24.3 left, but Tulsa could not make it any closer.
Tulane held Tulsa to 25.0 percent shooting in the second half (9-of-36)
Tulsa shot 56.3 percent from 3-point range (9-of-16) in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, but the Green Wave’s R.J. McGee hit a three to beat the buzzer and cut the Golden Hurricane’s halftime lead to four at 41-37.
Rachal recorded a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Joiner set a Championship single-game record with 12 assists to go along with 16 points. The previous record was nine assists by Will Cummings for Temple (vs. UCF, 3/12/14).
All of the latest information regarding the tournament can be found on Championship Central at
TheAmerican.org/mbb.
Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
March 11-14, 2021
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth, Texas
First Round – Thursday, March 11
Game 1 – No. 8 USF 73, No. 9 Temple 71
Game 2 - No. 10 Tulane 77, No. 7 Tulsa 70
Game 3 - No. 11 UCF vs. No. 6 UCF – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 12
Game 4 – No. 8 USF vs. No. 1 Wichita State – Noon ET/11 a.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 5 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 4 SMU – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 6 – No. 10 Tulane vs. No. 2 Houston – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – ESPNU
Game 7 – Game 3 Winner vs. No. 3 Memphis – 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT – ESPNU
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
Game 8 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 9 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7 - 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Championship Final – Sunday, March 14
Game 10 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 3:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. CT - ESPN