Tulane University
Southern Miss
Hector Leads No. 19 Tulane Past Southern Miss
Jan 3, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2000
NEW ORLEANS, La. - - Salome Hector came off the bench to score a career-high 29 points to lead No. 19 Tulane to a 91-77 win over Conference USA rival Southern Mississippi in the league opener for both teams at Fogelman Arena on Monday.
Hector, who entered the game with 10 points as her career high, had 12 at the break and finished 14-of-16 at the free throw line to help lift the Green Wave (12-0, 1-0) to its 12th straight win to start the season. Southern Miss dropped to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in C-USA play.
Tulane led 42-39 at the break, and Southern Miss cut the lead to one 45 seconds in, before the Green Wave reeled off 13 straight points to take a 55-41 lead at the 15:24 mark. Hector started the burst with an old-fashioned three-point play and scored seven during the run, including four consecutive free throws, before Sarah Goree's three-pointer capped the run. Southern Miss fought back to within seven but the Green Wave responded with 10 straight points, six from Janell Burse and four from Fabrecia Roberson, to take claim a 17-point cushion at the 5:18 mark.
In addition to Hector's 29 points, the sophomore from Slidell, La., added five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Janell Burse added 28 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, just missing the school single-game record of 21 rebounds set by Keisha Johnson in 1991. It marked the fifth time this season that the Green Wave has had at least two players score more than 20 points. Grace Daley added 11 points, giving the Wave three players in double figures for the 11th time in 12 contests so far this season.
Despite shooting 54.5 percent from the floor, Tulane could never seem to pull away from the Golden Eagles in the opening period. Burse had eight of Tulane's first 16 points as part of a 16-4 run to start the game, but Southern Miss cut the lead to eight at the 14:22 mark. The teams traded baskets for much of the opening stanza, and Tulane led 30-20 with 6:26 remaining, before a lay up from Arnika Hughes and a three-pointer from Krystal Courtney brought the Golden Eagles to within five points at the 5:53 mark. Again the teams traded points before an Angela Johnson three-pointer at the buzzer brought USM to within three, 42-39, at the break.
Tulane connected on 50.0 percent of its shots (33-of-66) for the game, while holding Southern Miss to just 35.2 percent (25-of-71) shooting. The Green Wave also forced 21 Golden Eagle turnovers, picking up 13 steals in the process.
Tulane returns to action on Friday for the fifth game of a six-game homestand, playing host to Conference USA rival UAB at Fogelman Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
