Tulane Women’s Hoops improves to 5-1 after blowout of FAU

Tulane had five players in double-figure scoring in the win.

NEW ORLEANS – Everything went right for the Green Wave women’s basketball team in an 88-45 victory over FAU at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Shooting? The Green Wave outshot the Owls 55 to 26 percent from the field.

Rebounding? Tulane had a double-digit advantage there at the end of the night, 41-29 to be exact.

Defense? Tulane forced 24 FAU turnovers and converted those into 33 points, also holding the Owls to just 7 of 35 from the 3-point line.

It all added up to a blowout victory for Tulane (5-1), who continued its perfect record at home this season with its third win on Freret Street. FAU (2-5) was out of the game early, as the Green Wave used a 12-0 run in the first quarter to build a double-digit lead and never relinquished.

None of Tulane’s five starters played in the fourth quarter, and every dressed player saw game action. The win was Coach Lisa Stockton’s 498th in charge of the Green Wave.

Five players on the roster finished in double-figure scoring led by freshman Dynah Jones’ 19. But Krystal Freeman (15), Kayla Manuirirangi (12), Harlyn Wyatt (12) and Kaila Anderson (10) also reached at least 10 points.

Anderson may have had the most complete game of any Green Wave player, scoring her 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while also tying for the team lead with five assists and adding five rebounds. Wyatt topped the team with six rebounds, and Manuirirangi and freshman Erin Gutierrez each had five assists as well. Jones had the team high with five steals, and all but one player had at least one rebound.

FAU kept the game close for five minutes, but a steal-and-score from Cheatham prompted the Owls to take a timeout midway through the first. After the break, Tulane scored the next 8 points to make it a 12-0 run, and the Green Wave never looked back. Wyatt had 8 points in the first quarter, and Tulane put up 20 points in the paint in the first 10 minutes.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter with Tulane outscoring FAU 23-8 in the period to take a 51-23 lead at halftime. Jones had 11 points in the half to lead the way, but the Green Wave were dominating all over with 17 points off turnovers and a 27-12 edge on the boards.

The second half was more of the same, and Tulane ended the night with 50 points in the paint. The Green Wave also had their best free-throw shooting night of the season, making 16 of 18 attempts from the charity stripe.

The Green Wave will return to Fogelman in Devlin on Saturday afternoon, facing longtime rival Southern Miss with tipoff scheduled for 1.