Huge second-quarter run not enough for Tulane Women’s Basketball vs. Dayton

ORONO, Maine – A gigantic second-quarter offensive burst gave Tulane a lead over Dayton, but the Green Wave could not hold on in a 71-65 loss in the championship game of the Maine Tip-Off Tournament at Memorial Gym on Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 26-16 midway through the second quarter, Tulane went on an 18-0 run that put the team ahead by 8 points at 34-26. The Green Wave would extend that lead to as many as 12 points early in the third quarter, but the Flyers fought back to retake the lead in the fourth quarter.

Kolby Morgan hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining to make it 65-65, but the Flyers made six free throws in the game’s final stretch while Tulane went cold to give Dayton the win and tournament championship.

Morgan finished with 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting, and junior Meredith Schulte was 1 point shy of her career high with 19. Morgan’s six made 3-pointers tied her career high.

Schulte also led Tulane with six rebounds while Kayla Manuirirangi and Kaila Anderson tied for the team lead with six assists apiece. Those numbers tied Manuirirangi’s career high set one day earlier and is a new career best for Anderson, a freshman. Harlyn Wyatt – whose 6 fourth-quarter points were crucial to keeping Tulane in the game – had three blocks.

For her 46 combined points over two games, Morgan was named to the Maine Tip-Off Tournament All-Tournament Team.

Tulane had a terrific shooting day, knocking down 25 of its 47 attempts to finish at 53.2 percent. But Dayton had a large advantage on the glass, pulling down 21 offensive rebounds to Tulane’s three. That resulted in 18 second-chance points for the Flyers.

But in the second quarter, it was all Green Wave.

Trailing by 10 in the final six minutes of the second quarter, Tene Thompson scored 4 points, Schulte had 6 and Morgan dropped 14 to close out the period with 23 points to Dayton’s 4.

Tulane’s 18-0 run included six straight minutes without a Dayton basket. The Green Wave went from trailing 26-16 to leading 34-26 before the Flyers broke the run with a Jayla Scaife free throw. Immediately after that free throw, Schulte got a jumper and Morgan drained her fourth 3-pointer of the quarter to give Tulane a 39-30 lead at halftime.

Dayton controlled most of the first quarter and held a 19-13 lead through 10 minutes. The Flyers extended that lead to 10 points four minutes into the second quarter, but that’s when Tulane’s shooters got hot.

Schulte got to 300 career points and 250 career rebounds in the game, and sophomore Maddison Wells scored her 50th career point.

The Green Wave have two days off before their next game when they will face Southern Miss on the road. Tipoff from Hattiesburg, Mississippi is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday.