Tulane scores in triple digits in blowout of Troy

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane scored the first 10 points of the game against Troy on Thursday.

Then the team scored 96 more.

The Green Wave cruised to a 106-75 victory over the two-time defending Sun Belt Tournament champions as part of the 22nd Annual Tulane Classic at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Kolby Morgan scored 32 points for the Green Wave – including 18 in the first half – and moved up to third all-time in team history in scoring during the contest. Morgan passed Carmen Jones and her 1,876 career points and now sits at 1,896 total points for her Green Wave career.

Morgan was far from the only hot shooter for Tulane (7-5), as the team broke the 100-point barrier for the first time since 2008 and 10th time in program history. The Green Wave’s 106 points marked the fifth-best scoring game in team history and the first time Tulane eclipsed 100 points since it scored 108 at Nicholls State in 2008.

Tulane also passed the ball with ease, recording 29 assists to tie for the fourth-best passing game in program history. Morgan and freshman Kaila Anderson each had career highs with eight assists, and Caylah Cruickshank also had a top mark in her career with five assists. Kayla Manurirangi had three assists and tied her career high with 19 points.

Harlyn Wyatt and Sierra Cheatham were Tulane’s other double-digit scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively, as Cheatham’s total was a career high. Besides points and assists, Morgan also led Tulane with eight rebounds, coming two assists and two boards shy of a triple double. Coming off the bench, junior Tatyana Lofton had a career-high eight rebounds as well, and Wyatt pulled down seven boards.

With the victory, Tulane will play in the Tulane Classic championship game for the 22nd consecutive year against either Samford or UTEP at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Troy – a fast-paced team that was fifth in the country in points per game entering the week – seemingly could not hit a shot in the early going. Tulane, on the other hand, could not miss. Troy bricked its first seven attempts from the field, helping Tulane get out to a 10-0 run on baskets from four different players.

The lead only grew from there, and the Green Wave finished the first quarter with 34 points, the most for the team all year. Tulane shot 62 percent from the field in the first quarter and had 11 assists on their way to a 20-point lead. The Trojans made just 24 percent of their attempts.

The second quarter was more even, with Tulane growing its lead by 2 points as it outscored Troy 19-17. During that quarter, Morgan got her basket to move up to third all-time in team history on a turnaround jumper from the free-throw line. Tulane led 53-31 at halftime.

The onslaught continued in the second half with the Green Wave making 10 field goals in the third quarter and nine more in the fourth. By the end of the contest, Tulane’s 40 made field goals was the third-most in a single game in team history.

Every player in the game scored at least two points, and 10 of the 11 Tulane players got at least one rebound. Morgan led the team with five steals, and Cheatham, Krystal Freeman and Ksenija Madzarevic had one block apiece.

Lofton’s 6 points in the game were a career high, as were Freeman’s 6 points and Anderson’s four rebounds.

Tulane will finish off its non-conference schedule on Friday with its second game of the Tulane Classic. Tulane will face the winner of Samford/UTEP at 3 p.m.