NEW ORLEANS, La. – Ty Brewer scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball team but Tulane picked up the win, 76-55, in the season opener for both teams Wednesday night at Avron B. Fogelman Arena.
The Lions (0-1) defense came out aggressively holding the Green Wave scoreless for the first four minutes. As the first half wound down, Tulane held a 20-16 lead before pulling out to 33-21 halftime lead.
The Green Wave (1-0) opened the second half on a 14-4 run to extend their lead to 47-25 as they cruised to the win.
"I just thought we turned it over too much," said first-year head coach
David Kiefer. "I thought our youth showed by having to go against a lot of different looks that they showed tonight. I thought Ty and Byron (Smith) played well individually and at times we played collectively. But we can learn from this one and just keep getting better every day."
Brewer, a sophomore, recorded his first career double-double. The Meridian, Mississippi native shot 8-for-13 from the field and along with six offensive rebounds.
Nick Caldwell had another solid performance scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds in his collegiate debut. The Geismar, Louisiana native shot 4-for-8 from the field. Smith finished with five points and played terrific defense.
Jordan Walker led the Green Wave with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting and added four steals. Tulane's Christion Thompson scored 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Despite the Green Wave's overwhelming size advantage, the Lions battled step-for-step on the glass as Tulane outrebounded SLU 42-40. While the effort was there, the execution wasn't as the Lions shot 5-for-28 from the three-point line, 2-for-11 from the free throw line and committed 21 turnovers.
Next up, the Lions will open the home portion of their schedule Monday night against Xavier (La.) at 7 p.m. at the University Center.
The Southeastern Sports Network will offer a free video stream of Monday's game. Tune in online at
www.LionSports.net or the Lions' Gameday Experience app for Android or iOS devices. Fans can also watch on Southeastern's YouTube channel (SLUathletics) with any mobile, tablet or smart TV device (e.g., Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku).
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club. Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners. All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at
laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting
www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
