Tulane falls at home to Nicholls, 69-66

New Orleans – Hannah Pratt scored a team-high 17 points in defeat as Tulane’s women’s basketball team (1-1) lost a 69-66 game to Nicholls (2-0) on Wednesday at Devlin Fieldhouse.

Pratt also had eight rebounds, three assists plus both a block and a steal. Kyren Whittington tallied 15 points, five rebounds and career-high seven steals. Irina Parau recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She shot an efficient 4-for-7 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Marta Galic totaled 14 points and eight rebounds plus two steals. Kaylah Rainey led the squad with her six assists to go along with a pair of steals. Chiara Grattini picked up three points and two assists. Amira Mabry had a pair of points and rebounds.

Nicholls tallied four players in double figures with Britiya Curtis leading the squad with 18 points off the bench.

The game was tight throughout with five tied scores and 10 lead changes. Tulane shot 36.1 percent from the field (22-for-61), 22.2 percent from three-point range (6-for-27) and 84.2 percent from the free throw line (16-for-19). The Green Wave also had 37 rebounds, 14 assists, 12 steals and three blocks. Nicholls shot nearly 50 percent from the field 49.2 and 29.2 percent from three-point range.

The Green Wave led 23-21 after the first quarter. The second quarter proved to be the biggest difference in the game with Nicholls outscoring Tulane 19-11 to take a 40-34 lead to the second half. Tulane was able to outscore the Colonels 32-29 over the final 20 minutes of action but couldn’t overcome the halftime deficit. The largest lead for Nicholls was 11 points midway through the second quarter, while Tulane’s largest advantage was nine points late in the first quarter.

Next, Tulane continues the homestand and welcomes in Prairie View A&M for a 6 p.m. game on Nov. 14 at Devlin Fieldhouse.

Notables:
This was the first game that Tulane has lost to Nicholls since 1991 and snapped the program’s 16-game winning streak over the Colonels…Kyren Whittington, Hannah Pratt, Irina Parau and Marta Galic have scored in double figures in each of the first two games…Whittington’s seven steals were a career-high and bettered her six thefts recorded against Troy last season (12/7/22).

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