Feb. 14, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. - After a hard-fought one-point loss to first-place Memphis on Thursday night, the Tulane men's basketball team wastes little time returning to action, hosting TCU on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena.

The game will also be broadcast on the stations of the Tulane ISP Radio Network, including WTIX 690 AM and WTIX 94.3 FM in the New Orleans area. Tickets are available by calling 504-861-WAVE.

Tulane (11-11, 4-5 C-USA) had its four-game winning streak snapped Thursday as Memphis escaped Fogelman with a 58-57 decision.

"I was very proud of the way our guys played last night," Tulane coach Shawn Finney said. "But we still have seven more games to play. The TCU game is a big game, we need to play with the same intensity and effort that we have been playing with."

In its last five games, the Green Wave has held its opponent to 38.3 percent shooting from the field. Four of those teams have been held below 40 percent.

That defense will be tested Saturday evening, as the high-powered Horned Frog offense comes in averaging 78.1 points per game under first-year head coach Neil Dougherty. Despite just an 8-14 overall record, TCU is 7-2 when scoring 80 or more points, with both losses coming in overtime contests.

On the offensive end, Waitari Marsh has been pacing the Wave squad. The senior guard is averaging 17.8 points per game in league games, including a game-high 20 points on Thursday against Memphis. Marsh's backcourt partner, Brandon Spann, has also been solid this season, averaging 11.7 points per game to go with a team-high 70 assists.

In the paint, 6-8 Brandon Brown averages 13.0 points per game and a team-high 7.1 rebounds, while Nick Sinville has 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field. However, a new face in the interior mix for the Wave is 6-9 freshman Quincy Davis.

Davis played 11 solid minutes against UAB, before exploding before the home fans on Thursday, playing a career-best 16 minutes and delivering impressive defense with his long frame. He also added five points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots to spark the Wave.

"In the last month, Quincy has really started clicking," Finney said. "Like all freshmen, he has had to adjust and learn the college game. He could be a big key for us down the stretch and if he continues the way he has been playing."

TCU (8-14, 2-8) is led by sharp-shooting, hard-driving guard Junior Blount. The six-footer is averaging 17.2 points per game and Fogelman faithful remember last year's performance in the regular-season finale when he scored 42 points while leading the Frogs to a 106-87 triumph over the Green Wave.

In addition to Blount, point guard Corey Santee has 16.8 points and 5.1 assists per game, while Bingo Merriex averages 12.7 points per game.

In this year's first meeting between the two teams, the Wave jumped to a big first-half lead, only to see TCU roar back into it. However, Marsh, who was on fire in the game, went down with an ankle injury with 13 minutes to go and the Wave on top 55-54. He had 20 points at the time of the injury, but would not return as Tulane fell 93-84.

"There is no revenge factor in the game," Finney said. "Every game, I expect our team to go out and play their hardest. We know what TCU is capable of and we need to play our best and worry about our game in order to get back to winning."

Following Saturday's game, the Green Wave closes its three-game homestand with another Fogelman battle on Tuesday evening against South Florida. Tip-off for the game is also 7 p.m.