NEW ORLEANS, La. – Tulane used a 13-0 second half run and never relinquished the lead again edging the Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team, 70-67, in the season opener Tuesday night at Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.
 
The Lions (0-1) fell behind by nine points in the first half, 25-16, but battled their way back. SLU made 11 of 12 free throws in the half to stay in Tulane's hip pocket, trailing 31-30 at halftime.
 
The Green Wave (1-0) got 17 points in the first half from LSU transfer Jalen Cook, who finished with a game-high 28 points, to hold the Lions off in the first 20 minutes.
 
In the second half, the Lions put the pressure on the Green Wave. SLU went on a 7-0 run to take a 39-34 lead early in the half capped off by a lay-up by senior Keon Clergeot.
 
However, Clergeot was whistled for a foul moments later for his fourth personal foul. As soon as Clergeot, the first team preseason All-Southland selection, went to the bench, Tulane went on a 13-0 run to take their biggest lead of the night, 47-39.
 
But Southeastern refused to go away. SLU's Ryan Burkhardt and Antonio Gordon hit back-to-back three-pointers to keep the Lions within striking distance, 49-45, with 11:12 remaining.
 
"It was kind of a next-man-up mentality," said third-year SLU men's head basketball coach David Kiefer. "Last year, if a run like that would have happened we would have all been like a deer in the head lights. But we got a big spark from Ryan and Joe (Kasperzyk). But I thought our guys responded well with our leader (Clergeot) out like that."
 
The Green Wave maintained a four-six point lead for the next seven minutes. Clergeot, after returning with his fourth foul, drilled a jumper with 4:58 left to bring the Lions to within one, 64-63.
 
With the Green Wave leading 70-67, Tulane missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw to give the Lions a chance with 11 seconds left. On the game's final possession, the Lions got the ball to Gus Okafor looking for the tie but Tulane forced a tough shot as they hung on to sneak past the Lions.
 
Junior Joe Kasperzyk was big for the Lions when Clergeot went to the bench as he scored seven points in the second half to give SLU a chance until the final second.
 
"I thought our guys really kept their poise," said Kiefer. "There was never any finger pointing or blaming even when Tulane went on the big runs. The guys stayed locked in and tight and gave us a chance to win the game. We're right there within one possession with a chance on the road, that's what you want."
 
The Green Wave finished 28-for-62 (45 percent) from the field while SLU was just 20-for-58 (34 percent). However, the Lions were 17-for-22 from the free throw line. Tulane outrebounded the Lions 41-35.
 
Burkhardt and Kasperzyk each had 15 points and combined for six three-pointers. Senior transfer Jalyn Hinton added 10 points and eight rebounds in his debut Lions' debut.
 
Next up, SLU will open the home portion of the schedule Friday night at 7 p.m. when they host Southeastern Baptist College.
 
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.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2020-21 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.