Blount paces TCU in win over Tulane
Horned Frogs clinch Conference USA tournament bid with win
Associated press

NEW ORLEANS — Junior Blount scored 42 points, Corey Santee scored 25 and Marlon Dumont had 15 points and 13 rebounds as TCU beat Tulane 106-87 on Tuesday night.

The Horned Frogs (15-14, 5-10 Conference USA) led 47-41 at the half despite shooting 56 percent from the field to 63 percent by Tulane (13-13, 5-10 C-USA). Tulane shot 43 percent in the second half and TCU hit 21-of-33 from the field, or 64 percent, including 6-of-10 3-pointers.

Simon Lopez/SKIFF STAFF Junior forward Bingo Merriex leans into a Tulane defender in the game against the Green Wave on Jan. 19. TCU defeated Tulane Tuesday night 106-87.

With the win, TCU has clinched a berth in the C-USA Tournament in Cincinnati March 4-8. The exact pairings have not been determined yet, but will be finalized after the regular season ends this weekend.

Blount was 15-of-22 from the field in the game and hit 6-of-10 3-pointers. Blount’s 42 points are both a season and career high for the junior-transfer guard.

Santee, a freshman guard, hit 10-of-16 from the floor and hit 3-of-6 three-point shots.
Redshirt-freshman Corey Valsin scored 14 points for the Frogs and had seven rebounds. Junior forward Bingo Merriex pulled down eight rebounds and Santee dished eight assists in the win.

Tulane’s Waitari Marsh scored 19 points for the Green Wave, and Brandon Brown scored 14 and had nine rebounds.

TCU only used seven players in the win. With the starters notching the majority of the minutes, the Horned Frogs got production off the bench from junior forward Jamal Brown and senior forward Colin Boddicker. Brown, who only played five minutes, scored two points and grabbed one steal. Boddicker, who saw 15 minutes of action, scored three points on a lone three-point field goal and had three fouls in the victory.

The win evens TCU’s record against Tulane. The Frogs lost to the Green Wave 87-82 in the previous meeting at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Jan. 19.

TCU returned to a style of play that it wanted to play all season long by scoring 100 points. This game marked the first time the Frogs have reached the 100-point mark since Jan. 5 when TCU lost to South Florida 117-108. Overall in the season, TCU is 2-1 when it scores 100 points in a game.

With the Frogs winning their own game, fellow C-USA team East Carolina was on its way of pulling off the upset of the night in collegiate basketball.

The Pirates defeated No. 9-ranked Marquette 51-46 at Greeneville, N.C.

East Carolina will face the Frogs 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The game marks the last game of the regular season and the final home contest for head coach Billy Tubbs.

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002