Tulane University
Drake
Slaughter's Big Game Leads Tulane Past Drake
Dec 9, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - -
Tulane 74, Drake 64 - Box Score
Senior forward Gwen Slaughter had a career game to lead the Tulane women's basketball team to a 74-61 win over Drake at Fogelman Arena on Monday night.
Slaughter, who had scored just 19 total points in Tulane's four previous games, tied her career high with 20 points against Drake while also adding 16 rebounds, five blocked shots and four steals. She was 8-of-14 from the floor and pulled down six offensive rebounds.
"I am just so happy for Gwen. She had an amazing game on both ends of the floor," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "She has worked really hard to break out of her slump. Tonight we saw the Gwen Slaughter we all know. It is nice to see her so confident again. That is the kind of play we can expect from her."
 | "I am just so happy for Gwen. She had an amazing game on both ends of the floor. She has worked really hard to break out of her slump. Tonight we saw the Gwen Slaughter we all know. It is nice to see her so confident again. That is the kind of play we can expect from her." Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton |
Slaughter had 10 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the first half to help pace Tulane to a 35-21 lead at the break. Drake had a 7-5 lead early in the game, but a Britt Themann three-pointer gave the Wave a lead it would never relinquish. Slaughter hit back-to-back jumpers in the lane and Teana McKiver added a lay-up to give Tulane a 14-7 lead midway through the stanza. The Wave led 18-11, but then used a 15-5 burst to push the margin to 17 with 1:31 left before taking the 14-point lead into the locker room.
Tulane scored the first seven points of the second half to push its lead to 21 only to see Drake respond with seven points of their own to cut the lead back to 14. The teams traded baskets for much of the half and Tulane led 66-50 with 3:33 left before Drake hit three consecutive three-pointers to trim the lead to nine, 68-59, with 1:42 left. But Delacey Joseph hit a three-pointer and Slaughter connected on an old-fashioned three-point play to give Tulane a 15-point lead with 38 seconds remaning.
Tulane held Drake to just 31.4 percent shooting (22-of-70), including just a 7-of-27 showing from behind the three-point line (25.9 percent). The Wave also had a 52-42 edge in rebounding and forced 18 Drake turnovers. Slaughter and McKiver each recorded five blocked shots and Tulane had 12 as a team. The Tulane bench also came up big again, outscoring the Drake reserves 18-9.
"I thought our defense was key tonight," Stockton added. "With the exception of a few shots late in the game, we did a good job of preventing their three-point shooters from getting good looks. We have been getting great minutes from our bench lately, and tonight was no exception. Lakethia Hampton really gave us a spark when she came in."
Muci Haris also had a big game for Tulane, chipping in 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. She was 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from behind the three-point line. In addition to her five blocks, McKiver had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Hampton added 11 points and eight rebounds, setting a new career-high for points for the second straight game.
Tulane will now take a nine-day break for semester exams before returning to the court on Thursday, Dec. 19 against Southeastern Louisiana at Fogelman Arena. That game against Southeastern will be the Wave's first against the Lions since the 1988-89 season.
