Wave returns home to face stumbling Temple

Returning to the Big Easy after several road games, Tulane men’s basketball (4-17, 1-8 American Athletic Conference) will end its January schedule against the Temple Owls (11-11, 2-7 AAC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.

Tulane is continuing its five-game skid during its conference stretch and is coming back from a narrow 78-68 loss to the UConn Huskies (10-11, 5-4 AAC) on Jan. 28. The Wave led after the half 36-34, but a 17-0 run over five minutes by the Huskies put the game out of reach for head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr.

The game, however, showed the strengths of several players. Five Green Wave players scored more than 10 points throughout the game, with sophomore guard Melvin Frazier leading the team with 14. Redshirt junior guard Cameron Reynolds, freshman guard Ray Ona Embo, redshirt senior guard Malik Morgan and senior center Ryan Smith each had 13, 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Defensively, Tulane ousted UConn in steals, ending the game with a total of seven.

The Owls have also seen its share of troubles this month, having lost its last game against Houston 79-66 on Saturday. In spite of the strong opening through November and the beginning of December, Temple holds the third-worst conference record in the AAC, sitting only atop Tulane (1-8 AAC) and University of Southern Florida (0-9 AAC).

Last time the teams played each other was in March 2016, where the Owls ousted the Wave 64-56.

Catch the Green Wave in action at 7 p.m. tonight, Jan. 31, in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.

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