NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – A 27-point, 6 rebound effort from Jaylen Forbes led Tulane men’s basketball past UCF 77-69 on Saturday afternoon in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
Tulane extends their conference win streak to five, with an 5-1 record in the AAC and 12-5 record overall. This is the first time since joining the AAC that Tulane has won five straight conference games.
Forbes was joined in the double figures by Jalen Cook, who had 21 points and Kevin Cross who dropped 16 with eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Green Wave shot 42% from the field and 89% from the free throw line. Tulane had an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers but still won the turnover battle with UCF totaling 18.
Tulane was up by as much as 16 in the first half, with UCF’s three-point game going ice cold. Heading into the locker room the Wave was up 71-66.
UCF was able to pull within three late in the second, but Tulane’s toughness on the boards helped them sustain the lead.
UCF would foul in desperate times sending Forbes, Cook and Cross to the line in the final minutes of the game. Each of them would sink their shots from the charity stripe, aiding in the 77-69 win.
LAGNIAPPE
- Tulane has made at least one 3-point field goal in 272 consecutive games. The last time the Green Wave failed to do so came on Jan.16, 2014 at home against Louisiana Tech when they went 0-for-14 from outside.
- Ron Hunter is 7 wins away from 500 in his career.
- This is the first time Tulane has won five straight conference games since joining the AAC.
- Tulane won the turnover battle for the 15th time this season.