Every player scores for Tulane women in win over Loyola, 78-48

NEW ORLEANS – Kayla Manuirirangi led the way with 15 points and every player on the Tulane women’s basketball roster scored in a 78-48 exhibition win over Freret Street neighbor Loyola-New Orleans at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

Though neither team shot well in the first half, Tulane upped its accuracy in the second half when it made 19 of its 34 shots. The Green Wave outscored the Wolf Pack 51-28 in the final 20 minutes.

With a 7-point lead at halftime, Tulane opened things up with a 9-3 run early in the third quarter that forced a Loyola timeout. After the timeout, senior Kolby Morgan scored 8 consecutive points for the Wave on two 3-pointers and a jumper from just inside the arc. That increased Tulane’s lead to 17 points and all but ended the Loyola threat.

The Green Wave led for 36 minutes of the contest and had a lead as large as 34 late in the fourth quarter.

Besides Manuirirangi’s 15 points – 7 of which came in the first half to lead Tulane – Morgan scored 13 and freshman Kaila Anderson added 10. Junior Harlyn Wyatt had a team-high 13 rebounds, freshman Sierra Cheatham posted four assists and Tene Thompson and Ksenija Madzarevich had two blocks apiece to contribute to the team’s seven.

The Green Wave held the Wolf Pack to just 24.1 percent shooting on the night including a 5-for-30 showing in the first half. Loyola also coughed the ball up 19 times, leading to 19 Tulane points. And in the paint, the Green Wave put up 28 points to Loyola’s 14.

Tulane plays one more exhibition game before the regular season begins, hosting South Alabama on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Fogelman in Devlin. Tickets are just $5, and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts.