Tulane Men Smother LA Tech with D, 61-53
In this story:
This Week's Coverage of Tulane's First CFP Appearance
Monday: Two Words for Those Who Think TU & JMU Should Not Be in the CFP
Tuesday: Tulane offense vs Ole Miss
Wednesday: Wave defensive angle against the Rebels
Thursday: Hear from Some Fans making their way to Oxford.
Friday: What are Fans Doing Who are Not Going to the Game
The Tulane men's basketball team came back home to Fogelman Arena Wednesday night and put on a defensive show. The Green Wave throttled visiting Louisiana Tech, 61-53, putting Tulane at 8-4 on the season. TU smothered the Bulldogs, allowing only 32% from the field, forcing 14 turnovers leading to16 points for the Wave.
"Really proud of our guys," Tulane coach Ron Hunter told us after the game. "We're in a stretch of three games in 7-or-8 days, finals, traveling cross-country to Vegas. I thought we were really good defensively."
He compared his team's defense to that of the now 6-4 Bulldogs. "I know they are the #1 team in the country in field goal percentage defense as of this morning. I told our guys, 'If that's the #1 team in the country, we held our own.'"
Though the rebound battle was won by LA Tech, 43-32, the Tulane backcourt was in the Bulldogs' face constantly, accumulating eight blocked shots, four of which belonged to forward Percy Daniels.
Guard Rowan Brumbaugh led the way in scoring with 16-points. Forward Scotty Middleton was the other Greenie in double-digits with 12. Both believe strongly in putting forth a strong defensive effort.
"If we're not hitting shots, we have to anchor in on defense," Middleton told us postgame.
"Even when we're in shooting slumps like we are now, we have to continue to find our team's identity and our defense," Brumbaugh explained. "If we can play like that (defensively), there's not a team we can't beat. I mean, we went 3-for-24 from three (point range), and we won by eight. We really need to pay attention to detail and scout. I think we won the game yesterday (Tuesday)."
Brumbaugh was referring to an out-of-the-ordinary practice session the day before the game that Hunter held for his players.
"Usually, on the day before a game, I don't practice," Hunter said, "just review and get shots (in). But I thought mentally, where we were, we needed to get after it. We had a great practice yesterday. I was a little nervous about it, because I know we're tired, but I'm glad we did, because I thought we were on point defensively."
Next, the Green Wave will close out non-conference play at home against Portland State on Saturday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.