Tulane escapes Memphis with overtime win

Green Wave tied the game at the final buzzer of the fourth quarter to force overtime

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tatyana Lofton set a career high with 17 points and Krystal Freeman had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds as Tulane escaped Memphis with a 62-61 overtime victory at Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Three-pointers by Lofton and Kaila Anderson were the Green Wave’s only points in the extra period, and Memphis missed three consecutive layup attempts in a frantic final 10 seconds as the buzzer sounded and Tulane celebrated.

Tulane is now 2-0 in overtime games this year as it previously defeated Texas State 67-61 in overtime on December 22.

The Green Wave (14-6, 4-3 American Athletic Conference) outscored the Tigers (8-12, 3-4) by a count of 38-25 in the first half and led 48-40 entering the fourth quarter, but Memphis fought back to take a 55-52 lead with 30 seconds remaining.

Freeman got a quick layup two seconds later to make it 55-54, and Memphis’ Taylor Barnes made just one of two free throws to give the Tigers a 56-54 edge with 25 seconds on the clock. That set up a hectic final possession for Tulane.

Sierra Cheatham got the first chance at the basket but missed a 3-pointer. Lofton snagged the rebound and drove to the basket before finding Meredith Schulte under the basket. Schulte also missed her chance, and Freeman bobbled the rebound off her fingertips before securing it. The clock expired right after Freeman released a layup that bounced off the backboard and in, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, Lofton started things off with a 3-pointer 31 seconds into the period. Memphis responded with an and-1 play from Barnes to tie it at 59-59, but Anderson drained her 3-pointer a minute later.

Neither team could get on the board in the next 2:30 before Alana Davis hit a layup to pull the Tigers within 1 point at 62-61 with 37 seconds left. Tulane could not do anything on its next possession, coughing up the ball with 17 seconds remaining.

Memphis had its chance to come up with the win, but – in a sequence that mirrored Tulane’s game-tying basket in regulation – the Tigers missed two consecutive layup attempts as the final horn went off.

With the victory, Tulane has now matched its victory total from all of last season. The Green Wave have also won two straight games against Memphis.

Besides Lofton and Freeman’s big scoring nights, freshman Dynah Jones put up 7 points in her second career start while Anderson and Cheatham had 6 points apiece. Anderson led the way with five steals, and Freeman had two blocks and three steals to top the team in both categories.

Tulane held Memphis to just 2 of 18 from the 3-point line in the game and was able to win despite being out-rebounded 55-38.

In the first quarter, Tulane could not seem to get its offense going, scoring just 10 points as Memphis led by 1 entering the second. But in that second quarter, the offense took off.

Freeman led the way for that offensive explosion, scoring 9 consecutive Tulane points that took the team from a 13-12 deficit to a 21-15 lead in less than two minutes of action. Lofton also had one of the best offensive quarters of her career, coming off the bench to score 11 points including a banked-in 3-pointer that forced a Memphis timeout.

Tulane outscored Memphis 28-14 in the quarter, reaching 28 points in a period for the first time since January 8 at Temple.

During the game, Lofton scored her 200th career point at Tulane while Freeman recorded her 300th.

The Green Wave stay on the road for their next contest on Saturday when they travel to Greenville, North Carolina to take on ECU. The Pirates and Green Wave are scheduled for a 4 p.m. central tipoff on the American Digital Network.