Comeback bid falls short for Tulane women’s basketball against Texas Southern, 72-62

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University women’s basketball team fell to Texas Southern, 72-62, in the first day of the Tulane Classic at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Tulane (4-7) grabbed 42 rebounds and dished out 19 assists, while Texas Southern (4-5) had 43 rebounds and 20 assists. The Green Wave shot 41.0 percent from the field (25-61) and scored 34 points in the paint. Junior Krystal Freeman led the Olive and Blue with a game-high 16 rebounds and added 14 points. This marked her fourth straight game with a double-double. Junior Arsula Clark scored a team-high 17 points, while freshman Irina Parau chipped in a career-high 13 points.

The Green Wave trailed 60-42 with seven minutes remaining in the game. Tulane then went on an 11-2 run to cut Texas Southern’s lead to 62-55 with two minutes left. Senior Kayla Manuirirangi led the charge with six of the 11 points. The Olive and Blue could not cut the Tigers’ lead to less than five the rest of the game. The final score of 72-62 was set after five free throws from Texas Southern to close the game.

After trading buckets to start the second half, Texas Southern went on a 13-2 run to take a 45-35 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Tigers led 53-38 after the third period.

The Green Wave took a 20-17 lead after the first quarter. All five of the Tulane starters scored in the first period. The Olive and Blue shot 57.1 (8-14) from the field in the first ten minutes. The Tigers opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 26-22 lead. Tulane responded with a 7-2 run to take a 29-28 edge at the half.

At the break, Freeman led all scorers with 10 points and nine rebounds on 5-8 shooting. The Green Wave logged 10 assists on 12 made shots in the first half. Tulane scored 18 points in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.

Ataiya Bridges led Texas Southern with 21 points and Niya Mitchell added 20 points and 13 rebounds. Ciani Cryor logged 15 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds for the Tigers.

Up next, the Green Wave will host Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Fogelman in Devlin. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

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Tickets for the 2019-20 season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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