With eight minutes left and a 12-point cushion, the Tulane Green Wave players began celebrating pre-maturely. Several players threw clenched fists in the air. Some gave high fives. Others chest bumped each other and shouted, “It’s over.”

Chris Joseph, however, walked out of the Loyola huddle determined to make Tulane regret their words. The political science senior orchestrated a 16-6 Loyola run, including nine points of his own, to cut the deficit to one point.

Following a free throw, Joseph got his chance. But his one and one shot clanked off the rim with 1.2 seconds left, securing a 70-68 victory for Tulane in the Battle of Freret Street.

“The team, in our huddle, was telling each other, ‘Hey, this game is not over.’ They knew they had to get two or three stops, and that would be the difference—be more patient on offense and get to the line,” said Michael Giorlando, head basketball coach. “On the flip side, we were very patient in our offense. You just have to have a little faith, a little confidence, and the next thing you know, we were either tied, up one or down one. Game on.”

The two-point Tulane victory marked the closest Loyola has ever come to defeating their neighbors since 1971.

Sophomore Tulane forward Josh Davis produced a game high 21 points. Robert Lavaglio, general studies sophomore, led the Wolfpack with 19 points and six rebounds. Joseph chipped in 12 points. Loyola shot 43.6 percent from the field.

The first half set the tone for the entire game. It featured 10 lead changes and several substantial runs from both teams, but neither could extend the lead past seven points. Tulane’s Ricky Tarrant concluded the first half on a layup that gave the Green Wave a 42-37 lead at the break.

Loyola sparked a 10-4 run to start the second half bringing the score to 47-46. Tulane answered back. Their 15-3 run brought the score to 61-50 with 8:41 left. That’s when Joseph, who struggled most of the night, found his rhythm. Loyola kept chipping away at the lead but eventually ran out of time.

“Our offense did a great job on shot selection,” Lovaglio said. “We held the ball until we got the right shot or the shot we necessarily wanted.”

Cameron Cates, business management senior, said there was something different about that night, compared to the previous Battle of Freret Street games he has played in.

“Team unity was definitely a big part. I felt like everyone was on the same page,” he said. “The crowd, I don’t know if it was because they were behind the bench this time, because they are usually in the corner, but everyone, the crowd, the team, the coaches, it just felt like it was all there.”

Giorlando left the game proud of his team’s effort.

“It was a great game tonight. Both teams played hard,” Giorlando said. “Everyone that got in made contributions. They put themselves in position late to try to be successful and try to win the game, and that’s all we can ask.”

Craig Malveaux can be reached at [email protected]

Political science senior Chris Joseph jumps heads above the rest. (PHOTO BY CHIKA JOHN/PHOTO EDITOR)

Biology senior Corey Gray powers through Tulane opponents during the Battle of Freret Street held on Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Fogelman Arena on Tulane’s campus. Tulane defeated Loyola 68-70. (PHOTO BY CHIKA JOHN/PHOTO EDITOR)