Tulane University
Purdue
Tulane Comes Up Short Against No. 10 Purdue
Nov 29, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - -
Shereka Wright and Laura Meadows combined for 38 points and 22 rebounds to help No. 10 Purdue break open a close game in a 64-52 win over the Tulane women's basketball team at New Orleans Arena on Thursday.
Purdue improves to 4-1 with the win, while Tulane suffered its first loss of the season to drop to 4-1. The game was played in front of 4,669 fans at the downtown New Orleans Arena, marking the largest home crown in Tulane women's basketball history.
"It is a disappointing loss for us," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "The game was very, very physical and we needed to respond a little better. Coming in, I thought they were stronger and we were more athletic, but they won that battle. The disappointing thing is that in some ways we beat ourselves."
The Boilermakers, NCAA runners-up last season, showed their experience down the stretch, outscoring Tulane 19-6 over the final seven minutes to pull away in what was a close game. Facing a 45-37 deficit at the 12:43 mark, Tulane scored nine straight points to claim a 46-45 lead with 7:22 left to play. The lead proved to be short-lived however, as Wright scored on a lay-up and Kelly Komara hit a pull-up jumper to give Purdue a 49-46 cushion at the 4:45 mark.
After a Teana McKiver free throw trimmed the lead to two, Meadows hit a long three-pointer that started a 7-0 burst to give Purdue a 47-56 lead which effectively sealed the win. McKiver answered with a lay-up to pull Tulane to within seven with two minutes left, but Purdue hit four free throws inside the final 90 seconds to reach the final margin.
McKiver led Tulane with 13 points and eight rebounds, while posting five blocked shots. It marked the first time this season that she had been held below 20 points. Delacey Joseph also added 13 points and three steals for the Green Wave.
Wright had 21 points and nine rebounds for Purdue, while Meadows added 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
Purdue led by as many as six in a sloppy first half that featured 20 combined turnovers. Trailing 24-18 with 6:59 left, Tulane outscored Purdue 10-2 to end the half and take a 28-26 lead into the locker room. It was Purdue's lowest point total in a half since scoring 21 in the second frame against LSU on Dec. 16, 2000.
Tulane connected on 38.6 percent of its shots (22-of-57), while holding Purdue to 37.5 percent shooting (24-of-63). The Boilermakers took advantage of its trips to the free throw line, however, hitting 13-of-18 shots from the charity stripe. Tulane, in comparison, was just 5-of-12 from the free throw line. Purdue also held a 44-38 edge on the boards, pulling down 19 offensive rebounds.
Tulane has little time to regroup, however, as the Green Wave return action with a pair of games this weekend. The Wave will welcome McNeese State, Creighton and Florida to Fogelman Arena for the Tulane Invitational. Creighton and Florida will open the tournament on Saturday at 3 p.m., followed by Tulane and McNeese State at approximately 5 p.m. The losers of the first two games will meet in the consolation game on Sunday at 3 p.m., while the winners will face off for the championship at 5 p.m.
