Houston Falls To Tulane In C-USA Tournament Opener, 74-52
March 12, 2003
By CHRIS DUNCAN LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Brandon Spann scored 16 points and Ivan Pjevcevic scored 12 on a career-high four 3-pointers as Tulane beat Houston 74-52 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament on Wednesday. The Green Wave (16-14) won for the third time in six games and will play third-seeded and 20th-ranked Louisville (21-6) in Thursday's quarterfinals. Louis Truscott, Conference USA's leading rebounder, had 18 points and 10 rebounds - his 16th double-double of the season - for Houston (8-20), which lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games. Tulane started the game with a 15-4 run by taking advantage of Houston's sloppy offensive execution. The Cougars, last in Conference USA in turnover margin (-6.56), committed four turnovers in the first seven minutes. Tulane started 8-of-12 from the field and led 22-6 by the midpoint of the first half. The Cougars shot 53 percent (10-of-19) in the first half, but still trailed 36-22 at halftime. Spann went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half and had 11 points. The Green Wave went 14-of-26 (54 percent), including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, in the first half against C-USA's best field-goal percentage defense. The Green Wave continued to shoot well after halftime, hitting eight of its first 13 second-half shots. The Cougars never made a serious threat in the second half, going 11-for-31 from the field (35.5 percent). Houston lost in the first round of the league tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons. The Cougars reached the semifinals last season. Tulane advanced to the quarterfinal round for the third time in four years.
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