NEW ORLEANS – Nike Sibande erupted for 21 points, but the Miami RedHawks fell to undefeated Tulane 80-59 Wednesday at Devlin Fieldhouse.
The Green Wave (5-0) put four players in double figures, led by forward Melfin Frazier, who made 9 of 10 shots from the field on the way to 20 points. He also registered eight rebounds and five steals.
Miami (3-2) saw just . . .
The Green Wave registered 14 more field goals and four more charity tosses. Tulane hit 53.2 percent (33 of 62) from the floor, 50 percent from distance (7 of 14) and 43.8 percent at the free throw line (7 of 16).
Playing their third game in five days, the RedHawks quickly fell into a 7-2 hole.
It was 12-4 Tulane by the time Sibande made his first points at 14:14. That was quickly answered at the other end, however, on a triple by Ray Ona Embo.
The hosts maintained a double digit lead for much of the first half and were up 32-22 before MU ran off five straight points from McLane (3) and Ringo (2).
It was a seven point game (37-30) at the break, and Miami’s Jalen Adaway started the second half with a dunk.
The RedHawks were stayed within several possessions and were down 44-39 after a Sibande jumper at 16:26. Tulane then when on an 11-0 run to forge a 16-point advantage following Frazier’s bucket at 13:08.
Back-to-back threes and a layup by Sibande pulled MU’s deficit within single digits at 55-47 at the 10:50 mark.
Tulane stopped the bleeding and outscored MU 16-7 over the next five-plus minutes to establish a comfortable 20-point advantage at 71-51 with 4:24 left.
The leads reached 22 points on several occasions before the final horn left Tulane with a 21-point margin.
In addition to shooting a better percentage, the Green Wave also held a 36-29 edge on the boards and committed seven less turnovers (18-11).