The Green Wave is heating up at the right time and now sits in fifth place in American Conference standings.
For the first time since the start of American Conference play, the Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team has put together a three-game win streak -- and now holds a winning record in league play.
The Green Wave rallied from a double-digit deficit to take down the North Texas Mean Green on Thursday night, winning 77-71 to improve to 16-10 on the season, including a 7-6 mark in conference play.
What started as a bit of a back-and-forth battle quickly turned in the Mean Green's favor, as the home team climbed ahead before halftime and entered the locker room with a 38-34 advantage. That lead would continue to grow for North Texas, and the team led by as many as 15 points roughly halfway through the frame.
The Tulane team from a few weeks ago might've backed down and surrendered to the deficit, but the Green Wave team that has taken the court over the past few contests brings a different level of energy and determination. Tulane stormed back from the deficit, going on a 21-6 run to tie the game at 65 points apiece with just under three minutes remaining.
Although the teams traded blows over the next few minutes, the Green Wave was able to pull ahead for good. Tyler Ringgold dropped the go-ahead basket in with 1:33 remaining to put the team on top, and it closed the game with an 8-0 run.
Rowan Brumbaugh led all scorers with 17 points, while Asher Woods was right on his tail with 16 points. Scotty Middleton dropped 15 points off the bench -- likely earning his starting position back soon -- while shooting 4-of-6 from the three-point line and hauling in a team-high six rebounds. Ringgold finished the night with 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and a team-best four assists. Curtis Williams Jr. rounded out the Tulane players in double figures with 11 points, two rebounds and three steals. As a whole, the team shot 46.4-percent from the field and 36.4-percent from three.
The Green Wave was a bit outmatched at times defensively, especially on the boards. Rebounding has been a big problem for Tulane this season, and although the team managed to pull down 27 total rebounds, it gave up 34 to North Texas. 11 of those boards for the Mean Green were on the offensive glass.
However, the visiting squad made up for the limited rebounding across other areas of defense. The Green Wave led the way with seven block and eight steals, while only turning the ball over nine times.
As it stands now, Tulane has climbed to fifth place in the American Conference, but the margin for error is extremely slim. Only four games separate the 2nd place team from the 11th place team, and only the top 10 teams will make the league tournament in March. The Green Wave will need to continue to stand strong to guarantee a tournament spot, especially through a tough stretch of games to end the year.
Tulane will return to Avron B. Fogelman Arena at the Devlin Fieldhouse on Sunday as it welcomes the Rice Owls to town. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT.