Tulane falls at UCF following tough fourth quarter

UCF outscored Tulane 19-7 in the fourth quarter

ORLANDO, Fla. – The fourth quarter belonged to the home team on Saturday afternoon as UCF outscored Tulane 19-7 in the final period to earn a 52-42 victory at CFE Arena.

The teams entered the fourth quarter with Tulane (15-13, 5-10 American Athletic Conference) leading by 2 points at 35-33, but the Knights (23-5, 12-3) retook the lead early in the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Masseny Kaba did the bulk of the damage for UCF, scoring 10 of her 14 total points in the fourth quarter on four layups and two free throws.

Kaba started the quarter with a layup to tie the game at 35-35, but Dynah Jones answered right back to give Tulane a 37-35 lead. That lead would prove to be the Green Wave’s last.

UCF followed that Jones basket with 9 consecutive points including 4 from Kaba, and the Knights capped that run with a Kay Kay Wright 3-pointer that gave them a 44-37 lead with 6:16 to play. Tulane and UCF traded baskets over the next two minutes, but the Green Wave could not convert a field goal in the game’s last four minutes as the Knights pulled away for the double-digit win.

Tulane had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter and 24 for the game with those 24 turnovers resulting in 22 UCF points. The Green Wave also went cold from the field in the fourth quarter, shooting 3 of 10 after going 5 of 12 in the third quarter when it took a late lead.

Krystal Freeman was the team’s top scorer on the day with 11 points while spending a large percentage of her time on the floor being double-teamed. She also had seven rebounds to finish second on the roster. Jones also scored in double figures with 10 points.

Senior Tatyana Lofton crashed the boards all game long, setting a new career high with 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kaila Anderson led the way in passing with six assists, and Freeman had a team-high three steals.

Neither side was able to hold onto the ball in the early going, as UCF and Tulane combined for 18 turnovers in the first quarter. UCF picked up five steals with its full-court pressure defense, and Tulane was able to make just 3 of 11 field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes. The Knights were just as bad from the field, though, making the same 3 of 11. The difference was free throws, as UCF sank four freebies to take a 10-7 lead into the second quarter.

Tulane was more composed in the second quarter, tying the game at 16-16 following a 5-0 run from Jones. Meredith Schulte was also excellent in the quarter just before that, scoring 5 points off the bench to keep Tulane close. UCF did just enough to take a narrow 4-point lead into halftime at 25-21.

The Green Wave controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Knights 14-8 including an 8-0 run that took Tulane from trailing 29-23 to leading 31-29. Erin Gutierrez and Wright scored the last 4 points for each team, and Tulane maintained that 2-point lead starting the fourth quarter.

During the game, Sierra Cheatham recorded her 400th point on a first-quarter 3-pointer.

The regular season comes to an end for Tulane on Monday when Cincinnati rolls onto Freret Street for a Lundi Gras contest. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Fogelman in Devlin.