Women's Hoops Headed Northeast to Face No. 1 UConn

GAME 22: TULANE GREEN WAVE (11-10, 3-5 AAC) at HOUSTON COUGARS (16-6, 5-3 AAC)
When:	Wednesday, Jan. 31 \| 7 p.m. CST
Where:	Houston, Texas \| H&PE Arena
Watch:	Houston Website
Radio:	WRBH 88.3 FM \| Listen Online
Live Scoring:	Gametracker
Notes:	Tulane \| Houston
Social:	@GreenWaveWBB

NEW ORLEANS – Now on a two-game winning streak, Tulane will head into its toughest opponent of the season on Saturday when it travels to Storrs, Connecticut to take on No. 1 UConn. The teams' first of two scheduled meetings will be televised on SNY and broadcast online through ESPN3 with tipoff set for 11 a.m. central.

Besides being shown on ESPN3 and airing on SNY, the game will also be broadcast on the radio in New Orleans on WRBH 88.3 FM with Gus Kattengell on the call.

STARTING FIVE
1.   Tulane nearly pulled off an upset of UConn last year when the Huskies were in the middle of a 101-game winning streak, narrowly losing to UConn 63-60 in New Orleans in February.
2.   Tulane owes its current two-game winning streak to victories over Tulsa and ECU on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively. On Wednesday, Kolby Morgan had her first double-double of the season with 20 points, 11 rebounds and just missed a triple-double with seven assists. Morgan is the second-highest scorer in the AAC with 21.3 points per game.
3.   Harlyn Wyatt recorded her 500th career point against the Pirates on Wednesday. She is one of just two players on the Tulane roster with 500 career points.
4.   When Kolby Morgan suits up for the game on Saturday at UConn, it will be her 120th career start. That will put her in sole possession of the program record for career starts.
5.   Since joining the AAC for the 2014-15 season, the Green Wave holds a 32-27 record in conference play. Tulane has finished fifth in the league standings during all three of its seasons. Tulane 0-7 lifetime against UConn.

SERIES HISTORY – UCONN
•   The Green Wave and Huskies have faced off seven times since Tulane joined the AAC in 2014-15, and UConn has swept Tulane in all of those meetings.
•   UConn's average margin of victory in the series is 41.0 points.
•   When the teams last met, Tulane nearly pulled off a historic upset while UConn was in the middle of a 101-game winning streak. Tulane just barely lost by a 63-60 score in the closest game in series history.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
•   The Huskies, based in Storrs, Connecticut, hold a perfect 19-0 record so far this year and are 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference. UConn is the No. 1 team in the nation in both major polls.
•   UConn scores an average of 90.6 points per game and allows just 54.9 points per game, giving them an average margin of victory of 35.7 points. Their closest contest this year was a 75-71 win over No. 9 Texas two weeks ago.
•   Six players on the team average double-figure scoring with All-American Katie Lou Samuelson on top with 16.9 points per game. Three members of the team (Samuelson, Gabby Williams, Napheesa Collier) were Preseason All-Americans.
•   As a team, UConn ranks in the top five nationally in assists, field goal percentage (1st), field goal percentage defense, scoring margin and offense (1st), and 3-point percentage.

TULANE IN THE AAC
Since joining the AAC for the 2014-15 season, the Green Wave holds a 32-27 record in conference play. Tulane has finished fifth in the league standings during all three of its seasons. This is Tulane's fourth season in the league after spending the previous 19 seasons in Conference USA.

NEAR UPSET OF UCONN
Last season's meeting between UConn and Tulane in New Orleans was one of Tulane's best games of the season, as the Green Wave nearly pulled off an upset of the nation's top team. UConn would win the game 63-60, but the Green Wave had a shot at the buzzer to tie the game that just missed.

UConn was in the middle of a 101-game winning streak at the time and had not lost in three years. UConn's victory was its second-narrowest of its winning streak at the time and is the closest any AAC team has gotten to defeating the Huskies in the history of the league.

ALL-TIME STARTS LEADER
Besides all the scoring records Kolby Morgan is chasing, the senior is guaranteed to break a school record in her next game. When Kolby Morgan starts for the Green Wave, she will have accumulated 120 starts in her career. That will move her past Ashley Langford (2005-09) for the program record in starts. Morgan is currently tied with Langford for the program record at 119 career starts.

NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE
On Wednesday against ECU, Kolby Morgan finished with her first double-double of the season thanks to 20 points and a season-best 11 rebounds. The double-double was the seventh of Morgan's career and the second for Tulane in 2017-18. Morgan was just three assists shy of a triple-double with seven helpers. No player in Tulane history has recorded a triple-double.

STRONG FINISH
Tied at 51-51 with just over five minutes to play, Tulane allowed East Carolina to make just 2 of its final 12 field goal attempts and scored 13 points of its own to defeat the Pirates. Kolby Morgan had 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Green Wave made nine free throws in the final 10 minutes.

ROUND NUMBER ALERT
During Tulane's win over ECU on Wednesday night, two Green Wave players hit career milestones. With a free throw in the fourth quarter, junior Harlyn Wyatt reached 500 career points. Freshman Sierra Cheatham hit the century mark, scoring her 100th career point in the game.

MORGAN CHASING A RECORD
Senior guard Kolby Morgan has many talents as a basketball player, but she is best known for her scoring ability. Morgan is now just 199 points shy of the Tulane scoring record held by Grace Daley. If Tulane plays 11 more games on the year, Morgan would break the program record by averaging 18.9 points per game. If Tulane plays 13 more games this year – the same as it did in 2016-17 – Morgan could break the program record with 15.3 points per game. As a junior, she scored 19.7 points per game. She is averaging 21.2 points per game this year.

CLOSING IN ON 700 WINS
Since the Tulane women's basketball team came into existence in 1975, the team has compiled an impressive 695 victories. If Tulane reaches 16 wins this year – a number it has reached for the last 11 seasons in a row – the Green Wave will reach 700 wins in their history.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
vs. ECU:
•   Harlyn Wyatt reached 500 career points.
•   Sierra Cheatham scored her 100th point.
Coming up soon:
   Ksenija Madzarevic is one rebound shy of 50.
•   Sierra Cheatham needs five rebounds for 50.
•   Tatyana Lofton is 5 points shy of 50.
•   Kayla Manuirirangi's 100th assist will come after four more assists.
•   Kolby Morgan needs eight more made free throws for 400.

NEXT UP
The Green Wave will stay on the road for its next game, heading to the Lone Star State to take on Houston. Tulane and Houston will meet at HP&E Arena at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Women's Hoops Headed Northeast to Face No. 1 UConn

Players Mentioned

Sierra Cheatham

Tatyana Lofton

Ksenija Madzarevic

Kayla Manuirirangi

Kolby Morgan

Harlyn Wyatt

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