Manuirirangi leads Green Wave women to win at Tulsa, 50-46

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulane University women’s basketball team defeated Tulsa, 50-46, in the Reynolds Center.

Tulane (12-9, 7-1) outshot Tulsa (6-15, 1-7) .378-.267 from the floor and .500-.238 from three. The Green Wave logged 38 rebounds, 10 steals, seven assists and seven blocks, while the Golden Hurricane recorded 36 rebounds, 12 assists, 12 steals and two blocks.

Senior Kayla Manuirirangi led the team with 18 points. She shot 5-8 from the floor, 4-6 from behind the arc and 4-4 at the free throw line. Junior Krystal Freeman grabbed a team-high six rebounds and five steals and added 10 points. Sophomore Mia Heide blocked four shots and snagged five rebounds.

“It’s a road win and we’re excited about that,” Green Wave head coach Lisa Stockton said. “It was not a great performance for us. We had a nice lead and just couldn’t finish it. If you win on the road, you’ve got to be happy with it.”

Tulane opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a 35-21 lead with 6:16 left in the third quarter. The Green Wave held Tulsa scoreless for more than four minutes of the third period during the run. The Olive and Blue took a 41-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

Tulsa scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to cut the Tulane lead to 41-37. Tulane stopped the run with a free throw from sophomore Mia Heide and a three from Manuirirangi. Tulsa cut the lead to 48-46 with five seconds remaining, but junior Arsula Clark knocked down two free throws to set the final score at 50-46.

The Golden Hurricane grabbed an early lead, but the Green Wave closed the first quarter on an 11-3 run to take a 15-7 lead after one. Five different Tulane players scored in the opening period.

Both teams traded baskets to open the second quarter then Tulane ended the quarter with a 6-0 run and went into halftime with a 26-19 lead.

In the first half, the Green Wave outshot the Golden Hurricane .526-.207 from the floor and .500-.364 from three. Tulane grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out six assists in the opening two periods. Manuirirangi led the way for the Olive and Blue with eight points.

The Green Wave will be back in action as they host Houston on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

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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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