TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time since joining the American Athletic Conference five years ago, the Tulane men’s basketball team did not leave the Yuengling Center with a victory, as USF forced 26 turnovers and earned a 66-48 win.
Junior forward Samir Sehic registered his sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman swingman Kevin Zhang made it to double-figures for the third time with 11 points.
David Collins topped all scorers with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals, while the league’s leading rebounder Alexis Yetna posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.
USF (12-3, 2-1 AAC) led from the opening tipoff and built its margin to as many as 14 in the opening 20 minutes of action by turning 15 first-half turnovers by Tulane (4-11, 0-3 AAC) into 17 points.
The Bulls also used an 18-4 scoring difference in the paint to help build a 34-26 edge heading into the locker room at halftime.
The Green Wave shot 9-for-19 (.474) from the field, 3-for-7 (.429) from 3-point range and 5-for-6 (.833) at the free throw line in the first half, while the Bulls went 12-for-29 (.414) on the floor, 3-for-13 (.231) from outside and 7-for-8 (.875) at the foul stripe.
Despite the Wave getting several open looks from outside, their attempts were just off the mark as the Bulls took advantage and stretched their lead to as large as 18 after a 7-0 scoring run was capped with a Yetna 3-pointer to make it 48-30 with 12:57 left.
Tulane’s deficit never got back into single digits and USF increased the margin as wide as 20 points with 3:27 remaining.
The Green Wave finished the night shooting 17-for-44 (.386) overall and 5-for-21 (.238) beyond the arc, while the Bulls went 23-for-53 (.434) from the field and shot the exact same as the Wave from deep.
USF owned a 34-12 scoring advantage in the paint, 35-9 off turnovers and 20-9 on fast breaks.
Tulane returns home to host Memphis on Sunday, January 13. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (CT) at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
Article courtesy of Tulane Sports Information Department.
