NEW ORLEANS — A pair of 20-plus point performances by Jaylen Forbes and Kolby King led Tulane University men’s basketball (9-3) back into the win column to close non-conference play with a dominant 94-64 victory over Dillard (7-5) on Friday.
With the win, the Green Wave improved to 7-1 at home and matched its best start entering conference play since 2017-18 with a 9-3 mark overall. The victory also pushed Tulane to 24-9 to finish the 2023 calendar year.
All 13 players that entered the game for the Wave found the scoring column as Forbes and King led the way with 22 points each. Forbes also notched a team-high three steals and registered his 45th career game with three or more made three-pointers as he hit four from downtown. The 22-point performance moved the senior guard into fifth all-time in scoring with 1,594 points passing Phil Hicks.
King recorded his first career double-double adding a career-high 10 assists to go with his 22 points. The sophomore guard is the 11th Division I player this season with a 20-point/10 assist game.
Sion James was the only other player for the Green Wave to tally double figures finishing with 13 points to go with five boards, three assists, and two steals.
Redshirt sophomore Max Bowman highlighted the scoring off the bench as he recorded his first career points for the Wave knocking down a corner three in the second half.
As a team, Tulane scored at all three levels attacking the paint in transition, getting to the free throw line, and knocking down shots from the perimeter. The Green Wave tallied 32 points in the paint and 28 fastbreak points while also hitting 20-of-26 from the charity stripe. The long ball was effective as well as the Wave made a season-high 14 from beyond the arc.
Tulane also registered season highs on the glass pulling down 48 rebounds and defending the rim swatting nine blocks. Collin Holloway led the Wave’s rim protection recording a career-best five blocks. The Green Wave also matched its season-best with 24 assists on 30 made field goals.
The Wave grabbed the early advantage by scoring the first four points of the game before Dillard began to exchange buckets with Tulane over the first several minutes. After trailing 15-14 with 13:03 on the clock, the Green Wave ended the first half on a 33-10 run to claim a commanding 47-25 lead heading into the locker room.
King led the first half attack for Tulane pouring in 17 points with three made three-points to go with three assists and two steals.
The second half began the same way the first half ended for Tulane as the Green Wave opened on a 22-12 scoring run to push its advantage to 32 points with 12:06 to play. After clearing the bench down the stretch of the second half, Tulane managed to reach its largest lead of the day at 90-55 with 2:05 remaining in the game. The Wave ultimately closed out the victory 94-64 to wrap up non-conference action.
Up next, Tulane opens American Athletic Conference action at home as it hosts Rice on Wednesday, January 3.
Tipoff between the Green Wave and the Owls is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
{Courtesy: Tulane}
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