No. 5 Tulane opens American Conference Championship with 67-61 win over No. 12 Tulsa

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Tulane University women’s basketball team defeated Tulsa, 67-61, in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The win means the Green Wave advance to the second round to play No. 4 USF at 11 a.m. CT tomorrow.

Tulane (14-16) outrebounded Tulsa (9-21) 39-29. The Green Wave registered 12 assists, five blocks and five steals, while the Golden Hurricane had 13 assists, seven steals and two blocks. Tulane outscored Tulsa 26-18 in the point, 12-4 off turnovers and 13-3 on second chance points.

Junior Arsula Clark paced the Olive and Blue with a game-high 20 points and seven assists. Junior Krystal Freeman added 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while sophomore Mia Heide chipped in eight points, a team-high 11 rebounds, and three steals. Senior Kayla Manuirirangi scored nine points off the bench for Tulane.

Both teams came out in the third quarter and traded blows. Tulane reeled off six straight points to finish the quarter and take a 47-45 lead into the fourth. Clark led the charge for the Olive and Blue with 10 points in the third quarter alone.

In the fourth quarter, Tulsa tied the game at 51 with six minutes to play then Tulane went on a 5-0 run to take a 56-51 lead with five minutes to play. After a Tulsa bucket, the Green Wave went on a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 62-53 with 47 seconds remaining. Tulsa responded with a 5-0 to cut the score to 62-58 with 30 seconds left.

Freeman knocked down two free throws for the Green Wave then Heide blocked a Tulsa shot on the other end and grabbed the rebound to seal the game. Tulane knocked down three more free throws to set the final score at 67-61.

Tulane shot 41.9 (26-62) overall, 33.3 (6-18) percent from three and 75.0 (9-12) percent at the free throw line in the game.

In the first quarter, Tulane trailed Tulsa 14-11 with 2:41 left then Tulsa finished the quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 25-15 lead into the second quarter. After a Tulsa basket to start the second quarter, Tulane went on an 8-0 run to cut the Golden Hurricane lead to 27-23. Both teams traded shots until the Olive and Blue ended the quarter on a 7-0 run. Tulsa held a 35-32 lead at halftime.

Freeman led the Green Wave with seven points in the first half. Clark and senior Kayla Manuirirangi added six points apiece for Tulane. Both teams had 15 rebounds at the break, while Tulane logged eight assists and Tulsa had 10. The Green Wave shot 45.2 (14-31) percent from the field and 57.1 (4-7) percent from three in the opening 20 minutes.

With the win, the Green Wave move on to play No. 4 USF in the second round of the AAC Tournament at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, March 7.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2020 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship can be purchased by logging on to TicketMaster.com.

WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out at NolaBuilt.com.