Women’s Basketball: Defense shines in Tulane’s 56-40 victory over Georgia Southern

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University women’s basketball team defeated Georgia Southern, 56-40, at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse behind a season-high 12 blocks.

Tulane (5-8) outshot Georgia Southern (3-8) .364-.259 from the field and held the Eagles to only one made three (1-10) in the game. The 10.0 percent shooting from behind the arc marked the lowest shooting percentage from any Tulane opponent this season. The Olive and Blue’s 12 blocked shots ranked tied for fifth in program history for blocks in a single game. Tulane last blocked 12 or more shots on Dec. 9, 2002 against Drake.

“I felt like we started the game and didn’t take very good shots,” Green Wave head coach Lisa Stockton said. “When we were a little more aggressive to the basket that’s when we took the lead. In the last five minutes, I felt like we got rolling and executed and did some good things. Getting a win gets us some confidence going into conference play.”

Senior Kayla Manuirirangi led the way for the Green Wave with a season-high 16 points. Junior Krystal Freeman logged her fifth double-double in six games with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Freeman and sophomore Mia Heide led the team with four blocks a piece.

Tulane took a 34-19 lead with seven minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles responded with a 10-1 run to cut the lead to 35-30 with two minutes left. Manuirirangi stopped the run for the Green Wave with four straight points to extend the Olive and Blue’s lead to 39-30. The Wave led 39-32 going into the fourth quarter.

Tulane outscored Georgia Southern 17-8 in the fourth quarter to extend the final score to 56-40.

The Green Wave jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the first quarter with Manuirirangi leading the way with six points during the run. The Olive and Blue held a 18-9 lead over Georgia Southern after the first period.

Tulane opened the second quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 29-13 lead with three minutes left in the first half. The Green Wave grabbed a 29-17 lead going into the half.

Tulane forced Georgia Southern into 13 first half turnovers and scored 13 points off turnovers. The Olive and Blue held the Eagles without a made three in the opening half and to 22.6 percent (7-31) shooting from the floor. Manuirirangi led the way for the Green Wave with nine points in the opening 20 minutes.

The Green Wave scored 22 points off 26 Georgia Southern turnovers and held the Eagles to single-digit points in three of the four quarters. The Olive and Blue dished out 16 assists on 20 made shots and grabbed 10 steals.

Up next, the Green Wave will start American Athletic Conference play as they travel to take on Wichita State on Sunday, Jan. 5. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

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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.

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