The Green Wave looked largely uncompetitive in the 89-60 loss.
The Tulane Green Wave needed some sort of momentum-building, hype-inducing, bounce back game against the Temple Owls on Thursday.
It's safe to say the team sure didn't get it.
The Green Wave was rolled over from start to finish by a feisty, determined Owls squad, ultimately dropping Thursday's road matchup by a score of 89-60. It was the third-straight loss for Tulane, and all have come by an average of 30 points.
From the start, the visiting squad looked outmatched and disoriented. Although both programs traded blows through the first 10 minutes of action, Temple went on a tear through the later minutes of the first half and took a 40-32 lead into the locker room. While that eight-point lead was far from insurmountable, it seems like the Green Wave just gave up from there. Temple shot at a 60.7 percent clip from the field in the second half and outscored its opponent 49-28 in the frame.
Rowan Brumbaugh posted team highs with 14 points and seven assists, while Scotty Middleton provided 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. They were the only Tulane players to score in double figures. Curtis Williams Jr. and Tyler Ringgold each added nine points, while Asher Woods tallied seven.
On the other hand, there was nothing the Green Wave defense could do to stop the Owls' offensive attack. Five Temple players scored in double figures, and the team made 13 three-pointers. The Owls also had 41 total rebounds to Tulane's 23 -- defending the boards has been a major issue for the Green Wave all season.
Despite all of this, Tulane has now officially clinched a spot in the American Conference Tournament.
The Green Wave sits at 8-9 in conference play, but is two games ahead of the 11th-place Rice Owls with just one regular season game remaining. If the tournament started today, the Sky Blue and Olive Green would be the eighth seed, though the team can fall to as low as the 10th seed depending on how this weekend's games shake out.
This weekend will be far from an easy task for Tulane as it wraps up the regular season with its final home game. The program will welcome the Memphis Tigers to Uptown; not only is this a rivalry contest, but the Tigers are the current 10th seed in the tournament and are at risk of falling out completely. There's no doubt that they're going to come out swinging.
Tulane tamed Memphis in a nail-biter victory earlier this season, but with how the program has been playing lately, it wouldn't be surprising if the Tigers jump out big and never look back.
The two programs will square off at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT.