Tulane Green Wave Basketball Falls to UTSA, Likely Takes AAC Seeding Hit

The Tulane Green Wave, most likely, won’t be a Top 4 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament when it is played in Fort Worth next month.

The Green Wave, in need of a win to keep hope alive of a double bye into the AAC tournament, fell in their final home game of the season, 77-73, to the UTSA Roadrunners on Tuesday at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Tulane (16-11, 9-7 in American) entered the game one loss behind the fourth-place Temple Owls in the standings, a team that the Green Wave split with during the regular season. Tulane, mathematically, still had a chance to clinch the No. 4 seed, which carries a double bye into the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament.

Tulane would have still needed help from Temple. But now, the Green Wave are two games back of the Owls with one game remaining. The Owls, who have two games left, don’t play until Friday against Rice. If Temple wins that game, or its finale, that will eliminate Tulane from a shot at the No. 4 seed.

The Green Wave has one game fewer than the rest of the conference because its Jan. 22 game with the USF Bulls was postponed due to severe weather in New Orleans. The game has not been rescheduled and it’s not clear if it will be before the AAC Tournament.

The Green Wave could also be facing a tie with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for fifth place. Tulsa is a half-game behind after Tulane’s loss. Tulsa has three games left, beginning with Wednesday’s showdown with USF. The potential exists for the Green Wave to drop further in seeding by season’s end.

The Roadrunners surged in the final quarter of the game, as they outscored the Green Wave, 30-22. UTSA had a six-point lead with 33 seconds left before Tulane’s Victoria Keenan drained a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to give the Green Wave a little life.

After two UTSA free throws, Keenan made another 3-pointer with nine seconds left to make it 75-73. The Roadrunners made two free throws with seven seconds left to ice the game.

Keenan finished with 13 points, which include three 3-pointers. Kyren Whittington, in her final home game, made four 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 22 points. Sherese Pittman added 13 points. She also had nine rebounds and five assists. Kendall Sneed had nine points and a team-high six assists.

Tulane is off until it heads to Birmingham, Ala., to face the UAB Blazers for the regular-season finale on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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