Tulane falls to Middle Tennessee State, 64-62

Box Score (PDF)

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University women’s basketball team fell to Middle Tennessee State (MTSU), 64-62, at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse.

Tulane (2-1) outshot MTSU (2-1) 46.4 (26-56) percent-35.8 (24-67) percent from the field, but the Blue Raiders took a 31.6 (12-38) percent-25.0 (4-16) percent edge from behind the arc. The Green Wave logged 20 assists on 26 made shots. Junior Arsula Clark led the Olive and Blue with a season-high 23 points, while junior Kaila Anderson dished out a career-high 10 assists. Junior Krystal Freeman added 18 points, four rebounds and two assists.

“They got 22 offensive rebounds,” Green Wave head coach Lisa Stockton said. “I thought we did a good job on the first stop. They got 22 and they got some threes off those rebounds. At the end, they were hot, and we just didn’t defend them. I give them a lot of credit. That was a heck of a shot to make at the end.”

The Blue Raiders took a 58-56 lead with 1:54 remaining. Freeman tied the game at 58 with 1:21 left then gave Tulane the lead at 60-58 with her second straight bucket. MTSU hit a three with a minute left to take a 61-60 lead. After MTSU missed two free throws, Clark drove to the basket and drew a shooting foul with 5.9 seconds remaining. She stepped to the line and hit both shots to give Tulane a 62-61 lead. Aislynn Hayes hit a 3-pointer with one second remaining to give the MTSU the 64-62 win.

Junior Sierra Cheatham led Tulane with seven rebounds. The Green Wave logged 40 points in the paint, 23 points off turnovers and 12 points on the fast break.

After the Blue Raiders scored the first basket of the game, the Green Wave went on a 22-4 run over the eight minutes of play. Tulane led 22-11 after the first quarter.  MTSU opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to cut the Green Wave’s lead to 22-19. Freeman stopped the run with a layup and the teams traded baskets until Tulane went on an 11-0 run to take a 40-24 lead. The Olive and Blue held a 40-27 lead at halftime.

Clark led Tulane with 15 points on 7-7 shooting in the first half. The Green Wave scored 21 points off 13 Blue Raider turnovers, 26 points in the paint and 10 fast break points in the opening half. Anderson had seven of her game-high 10 assists in the first half, while Freeman added 11 points before the break.

Taylor Sutton led the Blue Raiders with 23 points, while Anastasia Hayes added 19 points and nine rebounds.

Up next, the Green Wave will host LSU on Sunday, Nov. 17. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Fogelman in Devlin.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2019-20 season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.