ECU Avenges Triple OT Loss with a 79-73 Road Win over Tulane
B.J. Tyson launched in 22 points and Lance Tejada notched a career high 18 as East Carolina held on late in a much needed 79-73 win over Tulane Wednesday night at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans.
The win came after the two teams went an ECU record three overtimes in a 100-92 Tulane win two weeks ago in Greenville.
Tyson led four Pirates in double-figures that included 14 from Kentrell Barkley who pulled down seven boards and 12 from Mike Zangari. Dylan Osetkowski and Louis Dabney both had 18 points each for the Green Wave. Osetkowski also pulled down twelve rebounds in the loss.
Three early Dylan Osetkowski buckets in the paint and a Lou Dabney three-point bomb gave Tulane(10-18/3-12) a one-point 11-10 lead five minutes into the contest.
After the two teams went through a cold shooting stretch of a combined one for thirteen, Lou Dabney’s three-pointer put Tulane up 16-14 midway through the half. Lance Tejada helped ECU(11-17/3-12) reclaim a one point lead on a three-point jumper at the other end of the court before Tejada and Dabney traded baskets in a two-point Tulane game at the seven minute mark in the first period.
The Green Wave tried to pull away early with big Dylan Osetkowski scoring on a three-point play in the lane and an ECU turnover led to wide open Cam Reynolds dunk in a 27-21 Tulane contest.
But Lance Tejada’s third trey of the half and a three-point play and baseline drive from B.J. Tyson and Kentrell Barkley with 3:30 in the period helped ECU tie the game at 29-29.
Tejada’s fourth trey of the game from the right baseline gave the Pompano Beach sophomore a season high 13 points in the first twenty minutes of the contest. Then two Prince Williams free throws put ECU up by four with a minute and a half in the half and Kentrell Barkley’s floater in the lane for the Pirates gave ECU a 38-36 lead at intermission.
ECU got off to a fast second half beginning on a spin move in the paint from Mike Zangari and a Barkley drive off a feed from Caleb White that gave ECU a 46-39 lead.
Despite three straight made baskets from Tulane that trimmed ECU’s seven point lead to one, the Pirates continued to get solid production offensively. Both Barkley and B.J. Tyson nailed a jumper and a pair of buckets including a three-pointer from Lance Tejada who remained hot for ECU, helped the Pirates stretch their lead to 58-50 with 12:14 to go.
ECU went up by eleven with under eleven minutes to play on a B.J. Tyson three-pointer. Tyson soon connected again from the arc to counter a Melvin Frazier bucket for Tulane. But Cam Reynolds nailed a mid range jumper off an ECU turnover and Kain Harris converted a baseline two-handed jam off another ECU miscue to trim the Pirates’ lead to eight with eight minutes left.
Cam Reynolds, Mel Frazier and Dylan Osetkowski all scored for Tulane. Despite a pair of Mike Zangari scores for ECU, the Green Wave cut ECU’s lead to four with five minutes to play.
Double technical fouls were issued on Michel Nzege for ECU and Osetkowski for Tulane at the four minute mark for jawing at one another after Nzege's inside move and score that kept ECU in front by six at 72-66.
A Dabney steal from B.J. Tyson led to a Melvin Frazier basket at the other end for Tulane before Tyson struck back with a three-pointer and a 75-69 lead with 2:30 in regulation.
But Osetkowski scored on a dunk and two Dabney free throws cut the ECU lead to just two. With shades of two weeks ago on everyone's mind, Tyson responded with a clutch three-pointer with forty seconds to play to lift the Pirates' lead to 78-73. Then after a Tulane missed shot at the other end of the floor, the Pirates' Kentrell Barkley was fouled after cleaning up the rebound to stop the clock with 18 ticks on the clock where ECU held on to snap their six-game road slide with their third conference win of the season.
