Tulane University
Nebraska
Women's Basketball Wins San Juan Shootout
Nov 25, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2001
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - - Teana McKiver scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Tulane women's basketball team to an 84-78 win over Nebraska in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout on Sunday.
Tulane improved to 4-0 to start the season, while Nebraska dropped to 4-1. The win gave Tulane its first regular-season tournament championship away from New Orleans since the Green Wave won the Fairfield-hosted Warner's Classic in November of 1997.
McKiver's 20 points came on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor. She missed just two shots from the floor during the three-game tournament, connecting on an incredible 28-of-30 shots (93.3 percent) to earn Most Valuable Player honors. In addition to her nine rebounds against Nebraska, McKiver added two blocked shots and an assist.
McKiver scored six of Tulane's final 12 points as Tulane out-scored Nebraska 12-6 over the final four minutes. With the score tied at 72-72, McKiver converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Green Wave a 75-72 cushion. Nebraska followed with a pair of free throws to trim the lead to one, but McKiver scored another lay-up to restore the three-point margin. The Cornhuskers again hit a pair of free throws to pull to within 77-76 before Salome Hector hit a crucial three-pointer with the shot clock running down to give Tulane an 80-76 advantage. Nebraska again pulled to within two with 1:18 left, but it would be the Cornhuskers final points of the game. Sarah Goree and McKiver each hit a free throw before Kelly Nadeau closed out the game with two charity tosses to give Tulane the 84-78 victory.
Joining McKiver on the All-Tournament team were Tulane teammates Gwen Slaughter and Delacey Joseph. Slaughter scored 10 points against Nebraska despite playing just 13 minutes due to foul trouble. Joseph added 14 points and three assists against the Cornhuskers. Junior Britt Themann added 12 points for the Green Wave, all coming in the first half.
Tulane connected on an impressive 54.3 percent of its shots, while holding Nebraska to just 43.5 percent shooting, including a 38.2 percent effort in the second half. The Huskers stayed close with five three-pointers in the second stanza, finishing the game 8-of-16 from behind the three-point arc. The Green Wave forced 18 Nebraska turnovers and drew 30 fouls against the Huskers.
The Green Wave trailed by as many as five in the opening half, before rallying to take an eight-point lead into the locker room. Nebraska led 19-18 when Britt Themann nailed a three-pointer to give a 21-19 advantage. Nadeau followed with a pair of free throws and Themann added four more foul shots before Joseph scored on a driving lay-up to give the Green Wave a 29-19 lead with 8:48 left in the half. Nebraska pulled to within three, but a three-pointer from Joseph at the buzzer sent Tulane into the halftime break with a 47-39 cushion.
Tulane held Nebraska's top three scorers, Katie Robinette, Katie Morse and Margaret Richards, to just 12 combined points, well below their combined average of 32.0 heading into the tournament. Robinette, the Big 12 preseason freshman of the year, entered the tournament averaging 11.0 rebounds per contest, but the Green Wave post players held her to just four rebounds. The Wave also held Keesha Cannon, the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year, to just four points and forced her into seven turnovers.
The Green Wave will return to action on Thursday, as the team plays host to 2001 NCAA runner-up Purdue in the New Orleans Arena. It marks the first-ever Division I women's college basketball game to be played in the Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
