Senior Chris Moore scored 17 points and had five rebounds to lead the Tulane Green Wave to an unexpected trouncing of the Texas-El Paso Miners, 92-67, in Conference USA action at Fogelman Arena before a crowd announced at 2,305. Tulane's won-loss record moves to 11-10 overall and 4-5 in C-USA play. UTEP fell to 13-11 overall and 5-5 in C-USA action.
But Moore's scoring notwithstanding, it was the Tulane inside game that sealed the victory
for the Green Wave. Tulane outrebounded the Miners, 43-34, and pounded the ball into the
paint to tally 50 points from short range. UTEP scored only 36 points inside.
Tulane coach Dave Dickerson again substituted in Posse-style waves, especially in the early
part of the first half, exchanging all 5 players in order to keep fresh legs on the court at all
times.
Freshman Kevin Sims added 14 points for the Green Wave which won its second consecutive
game. Junior David Gomez contributed 11 points to the Tulane cause, and sophomore Daniel Puckett finished with 10.
Matt Wheaton grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the Green Wave.
Kevin Henderson scored a game-high 19 points and had nine rebounds to lead the way for the
Miners.
Malik Alvin added 13 points and had six assists, while Maurice Thomas scored 11 points in the
loss.
Tulane shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half and took a 43-30 lead into the locker
room at intermission.
In the second half, the Green Wave shot 57.6 percent from the floor, as Dave Dickerson's team
coasted to the 25-point victory. Overall, Tulane shot 56.3 percent from the floor, including
a 60 percent (6-of-10) shooting percentage from beyond the three-point arc.
David Gomez hit on 5-of-6 shots from the floor to lead the Green Wave, and Chris Moore made
7-of-11 attempts, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc to pace Tulane's offense.
The Green Wave took an early lead but UTEP rallied to take the lead at 10-9 with 12:51 remaining on a three-pointer by Steffon Jackson. That lead was the Miners only lead of the evening, and lasted about 90 seconds. A trey by Andrew Garcia gave the Wave the lead at 15-13, and David Gomez added four points on a dunk and a layup to keep Tulane ahead at 19-16, and that was it for the Miners. The Greenies stretched their lead to 12 with 2:35 remaining and then to 13 at 43-30 as the half ended.
In the second half, the Green Wave quickly pulled away from the Miners, leading by as many
as 21 in the first 10 minutes, although UTEP was able to cut the lead to 16 at several points in the half. In the final 10 minutes, Tulane's lead ballooned to as many as 25, and that was the score when the final whistle blew.
Tulane resumes action Saturday when they travel to Memphis, Tenn. for a C-USA contest with
the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.