Morgan, Cruickshank Carry Women's Hoops in Senior Night Win

Monday, February 26

New Orleans

7 p.m.

Tulane University

13-16, 5-11

SMU

10-19, 4-12

SMU

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Morgan, Cruickshank Carry Women's Hoops in Senior Night Win

Feb 26, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score 2018 AAC Tournament Bracket

NEW ORLEANS – Kolby Morgan and Caylah Cruickshank were not going to lose this one.

Not the final home game of their careers. Not on Senior Night.

Trailing SMU 37-27 through three quarters, Morgan and Cruickshank combined for a 13-0 run and led the Tulane women's basketball team to a 52-46 victory over SMU at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Monday night.

Monday's win combined with Memphis' victory over Temple means Tulane will be the No. 9 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament that begins on Saturday. Tulane will face No. 8 seed Memphis at 5 p.m. central at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The Green Wave would not have earned that No. 9 seed if not for Morgan and Cruickshank's fourth-quarter heroics. Morgan finished the game with 24 points, her first 20-point game in three weeks. Cruickshank scored 7 at game's end, all in the fourth quarter.

Down by 10 entering the fourth, Morgan starting things off with a 3-pointer. Cruickshank knocked down two free throws after a steal, and Morgan followed that with another 3-pointer and a layup to tie the game at 37-37.

Two possessions later, Morgan drained another 3-pointer, giving Tulane a 40-37 lead. That lead was its first since the first quarter, and Morgan broke Tulane's all-time made field goal record with that shot.

Harlyn Wyatt made it 14 straight Tulane points to begin the quarter with a free throw, but SMU rallied back to tie the game at 41-41 with the next 4 points and only 2:52 left on the clock.

That's when Cruickshank gave Tulane the lead for good, hitting a 3-pointer from the right corner in front of her mother in attendance from Montreal. Morgan drove for a layup to make it 46-41 with 1:56 left, and Cruickshank added her final basket at Fogelman in Devlin in the paint to make it 48-41.

It was free throws the rest of the way to seal the win for Tulane. Combined, Morgan and Cruickshank scored 23 of Tulane's 25 fourth-quarter points as the Green Wave outscored SMU 25-9 in the final period.

Besides her game-high 24 points, Morgan also tied for the team lead in rebounds with Wyatt and her six boards. Morgan led Tulane in assists as well with three and tied her career high with six steals. Morgan was Tulane's only double-figure scorer, but Cruickshank and Meredith Schulte had six points apiece.

Tulane began the game ice cold from the field, missing its first 11 attempts from downtown. The Green Wave shot just 25 percent from the field in the first quarter but led SMU 11-9 at entering the second as the Mustangs made just four field goals as well.

In the second, SMU turned up its offense, scoring the first 11 points including 9 straight from McKenzie Adams. Adams finished the half 7 of 7 from the field and would wind up leading SMU with 20 points.

But after the media timeout, Tulane got back into the game. Sierra Cheatham banked in a 3-pointer to break Tulane's 0-for-11 streak from long range, Morgan converted an and-1 play and Ksenija Madzarevic hit a wide open layup to cut into the Mustangs advantage. Tulane stayed close the rest of the quarter and trailed just 21-19 at halftime.

The third quarter, though, belonged to SMU. The Mustangs outscored the Green Wave 14-6 in the third as Tulane shot just 2 of 12 from the field. SMU, meanwhile, made six field goals and expanded their lead to 37-27 with 10 minutes to play. That's when Morgan and Cruickshank took over.

The Green Wave will look to start a run in the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday when they take on No. 8 seed Memphis. Tipoff at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, will be at 5 p.m. central.