The Green Wave men’s basketball team opened its season against the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds Friday night. With a core of new freshmen and transfer players finally eligible to play in Head Coach Mike Dunleavy Sr.’s system, the Green Wave looked like a rejuvenated team as they clipped the Blackbirds’ wings, rolling to a 102-96 victory.

It was Tulane who drew the night’s first blood, as Jordan Cornish hit a jump shot that put the Green Wave up 2-0. Things quickly cooled from that first possession for the Wave, as LIU Brooklyn exploited the team’s defensive slowness to take an 11-4 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. After an and-one shot by Jordan Cornish, the Wave regained some momentum, and three-point shots from Cameron Reynolds and Ray Ona Embo put the Wave back on top, 18-15, with 12:27 in the first half.

Ona Embo started the team off again following a timeout with another three, and Tulane continued its offensive strike. LIU Brooklyn pushed back, and the game temporarily turned into a shootout. The Blackbirds, however, could not keep pace with the Green Wave for long. Tulane led 34-26 going into the TV timeout. Tulane refused to slow down, the charge being led by Samir Sehic, playing his first game in a Tulane uniform after redshirting the 2016 season. Sehic has 9 points, all in the last 10 minutes of the first half. The leader for scoring, however, was Cameron Reynolds, with 13. Collin Slater added 10, and the Wave led 52-38 at the half. Tulane out-rebounded LIU Brooklyn 25-14.

Another game, another win, another time we got to ring #OURBELL 🔔🌊🔔🌊#RollWave pic.twitter.com/FgTnLFbo2d

— Tulane Men's Basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) November 11, 2017

It was again Jordan Cornish who scored first in the second half. The Wave rolled out fast, but the Blackbirds were quick to match their pace. High volume shooting led to a 67-53 game less than 5 minutes into the half. LIU Brooklyn continued to push with high-percentage shots, but Tulane quieted their comeback attempts each possession.

Helping in this was Melvin Frazier, whose two high-energy dunks quieted the Blackbirds’ bench each time. Both teams were still fighting, and the score quickly ran up. The Blackbirds continued to fight relentlessly, making it a single digit game several times in the last ten minutes of play, within seven points with 3:34 remaining.

Sloppy defense from Tulane allowed the Blackbirds to make the score 91-88 with 2:24 to play. Following a two-minute shootout, the game rested at 98-96 in Tulane’s favor with 22 seconds to go when a pair of Jordan Cornish free throws sunk the Blackbirds once and for all. Tulane had six players score in double digits.

Tulane will play again Monday against Southeastern Louisiana.