One More Run: Tulane women’s basketball seniors return for fifth season

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University women’s basketball coach Lisa Stockton announced all four seniors from the 2020-21 season will return for a fifth year with the Green Wave in 2021-22.

“We are very excited to return our senior class for another season,” Stockton said. “Their contribution on the court, as well as experience and leadership, will be so valuable in the 2021-22 season.”

Seniors Kaila Anderson, Sierra Cheatham and Krystal Freeman will return Uptown for their fifth season, while senior Arsula Clark will play her third season with the Green Wave.

Anderson and Freeman return as two of the team’s captains from last season. The four also return with a slew of accolades they have earned over their years with the Green Wave. The group helped lead the Green Wave to a fourth-place finish in the American in the 2020-21 season, which was the highest regular season finish for the Green Wave since moving to the conference. It is the highest finish for Tulane since a fourth-place result in 2013-14 in CUSA.

The .667 winning percent posted by Tulane in 2020-21 season was the highest since the Green Wave won the same percentage in 2014-15 season.

Freeman was named Third Team All-American Athletic Conference in the 2020-21 season. She was just the sixth player to earn all-conference honors in three seasons at Tulane. Freeman averaged 12.3 points this season, a mark that placed second on the team and 10th in the conference. She led the team and ranked third in the AAC in rebounds per game at 7.8. The Pineville, Louisiana, native also placed third in defensive rebounds per game at 6.1.The senior forward logged a team-high five double-doubles last season. Freeman scored in double figures in 17 games, logging 15 or more in 11. The senior forward was one of just two players to start all 27 games for Tulane this season.

Cheatham earned the AAC Ambassador Award the past three seasons. She was the only player to win the award in back-to-back seasons and became the first to do so three times. Cheatham participated in numerous service activities off the court and has been involved in multiple local charities and community service efforts in the New Orleans area.

The Houston native maintained a 3.426 GPA while majoring in Neuroscience at a Top 40 academic institution. She earned the Stanley W. Ray, Jr. Scholarship at Tulane. Cheatham is a member of the Pre-Dental Society and Tulane American Medical Women’s Association (TAMWA) and SAAC at Tulane. The junior guard was named to the AAC Academic Honor Roll in all three of her prior seasons.

Cheatham was a big contributor on the court, especially in the 2021 postseason. The guard averaged 28.5 minutes in the American Athletic Conference Tournament and scored a season-high 13 points in the win over Temple in the quarterfinals.

Clark returns after being named to the 2021 WNIT Memphis Regional All-Tournament Team. She led the Olive and Blue to the WNIT Sweet 16 before falling to Ole Miss. She logged 21 points and five assists in Tulane’s win over Illinois State in the first round of the WNIT. She was third on the team with 12.3 points per game and first with 80 total assists in the 2020-21 season. She posted 28 points and seven rebounds at ECU on Dec. 22, 2020.

Anderson returns as a leader of the team. She was named team captain for the third straight season prior to 2020-21. She posted a season-high 11 points against Tulsa on Feb. 10. Anderson logged six assists in the win over Memphis on Jan. 1.

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