Tulane basketball player charged with rape, dismissed from team

Colin Threlkeld, Senior Staff Reporter

A Tulane basketball player charged with third-degree rape has been dismissed from the team, according to a nola.com report

Bul Ajang was accused of raping a woman with whom he had been drinking and dancing at a bar Sunday, according to police. He has been released from jail on a $10,000 bond.

The alleged victim said she remembered waking up in an unfamiliar bedroom where Ajang then tried to force her to have sex with him. When the woman told him she wanted to leave, Ajang allegedly hit her on the head and continued forcing her into sex.

According to police, Ajang then accompanied her to her home using a ride-share service. When she arrived at home, the alleged victim called 911 to report the rape before undergoing a sexual assault examination at University Medical Center.  

Police interviewed Ajang at Tulane Medical Center, where he was receiving treatment for injuries he said he sustained from being attacked by the woman’s live-in boyfriend when Ajang dropped her off at their home. 

According to Ajang’s version of the night’s events, he and the alleged victim went to the bar alone after attending a party with Ajang’s roommate. Police said Ajang told them that both he and the woman were heavily intoxicated when they went to his home and began having consensual sex. 

When the woman told him she wanted to go home, Ajang said he called the ride-share service and rode with her. When he dropped her off at her home, Ajang said the woman’s boyfriend attacked him.

Ajang, a 6-foot-10-inch forward recruited to Tulane from South Sudan, played sparingly over the past two years for former coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. He averaged just under 10 minutes a game in 34 appearances over two seasons, battling knee problems last year.

As nola.com reports, Tulane head basketball coach Ron Hunter said in August that Ajang had undergone career-ending knee surgery and was applying for a medical hardship from the NCAA but would remain on scholarship.

The Hullabaloo will provide further updates as they become available.

Resources are available for students who are victims of sexual assault. Contact Sexual Assault Peer Hotline and Education‘s 24/7 Peer Run Hotline at 504-654-9543 if you are in need of help. 

Tulane Emergency Medical Services can be reached at 504-865-5911. TEMS is a free, student-run services that is prepared to help students in need. In addition, Tulane University Police Department can be reached at (504) 865-5381.

You can also reach out to Case Management and Victim Support Services at 504-314-2160 who can offer support and help you file a report.

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