Tulane Women’s Basketball rally comes up short against No. 23 USF

NEW ORLEANS – Kolby Morgan moved up to second all-time in team history in scoring as the Green Wave’s late rally against No. 23 USF fell just short in a 63-53 loss at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.

Morgan finished the game with 11 points and surpass Stacey Gaudet’s 2,080 career points. Morgan, now at 2,089 career points, is 170 shy of the Tulane school record of 2,259 held by Grace Daley.

USF (18-7, 8-2 American Athletic Conference) made itself at home at the free-throw line, taking 28 shots from the charity stripe compared to just seven for Tulane (11-12, 3-7). The Bulls also dominated in rebounding, beating the Green Wave 51-26 in that category.

But despite that disparity, Tulane was in the game until the end.

The Bulls led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but Tulane used a 14-0 run that spanned the final minute of the third quarter and the early fourth quarter to cut the Bulls’ lead to just 49-46 with 7:41 to play.

Tulane’s rally began with a Morgan and-1 layup, and Kayla Manuirirangi followed with a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter. Morgan added another jumper to make it a 8-0 run, and Harlyn Wyatt forced a USF timeout with an and-1 layup of her own with 8:17 left in the game. Sierra Cheatham closed the 14-0 run with a 3-pointer after the Bulls timeout, and the Green Wave were within 3 points.

But in the final seven minutes, USF’s defense clamped down. The Green Wave made just two more field goals the rest of the game – both Cheatham 3-pointers – and the Bulls knocked down 10 free throws to keep a safe distance from Tulane.

Cheatham led Tulane in scoring with 12 points including a career-high four 3-pointers. Morgan led the team in rebounding and passing with six boards and assists, and Manuirirangi had a team-high three steals.

During the game, Maddison Wells scored her 100th career point, Manuirirangi scored her 250th and Sierra Cheatham got her 50th rebound.

The Green Wave were excellent on defense all night, holding a team that averages 76.2 points per game to just 63 points and 30.9 percent shooting from the field.

Tulane came on fire to begin the game, knocking down four of its first six field goal attempts and used an 11-0 run to force a USF timeout. Leading 14-4 with five minutes left in the quarter, Tulane maintained its lead through the end of the first quarter by holding the Bulls to just 29 percent shooting in the period, and Tulane led 18-13 entering the second.

The second quarter, however, was all Bulls. USF outscored Tulane 20-9 in the period and 33-27 at halftime. The Bulls grew their lead into the teens in the third quarter before Tulane’s 14-0 run got things close.

Tulane has another home game coming up next when Temple comes to New Orleans for the teams’ only meeting this year. The Green Wave and Owls will square off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Fogelman in Devlin.