Tulane University
DePaul (C-USA Tournament)
Women's Basketball Advances To C-USA Tournament Semifinals
Mar 2, 2002 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2002
CHICAGO, Ill. - - Tulane used a 24-10 run to build a 17-point cushion midway through the second half and then held off a DePaul rally, as the Green Wave posted an 88-83 win over the Blue Demons in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament at the DePaul Athletic Center on Saturday.
Tulane, the tournament's No. 5 seed, improves to 22-9 overall with the win and advances to the C-USA Tournament semifinals for the fourth straight season. DePaul, the No. 4 seed, falls to 15-13, while the Blue Demons' loss means that Tulane is still the only Conference USA team to win the league tournament on its own floor. The Green Wave won the 1999 Conference USA Tournament at Fogelman Arena.
Tulane led 51-48 early in the second half, but used a quick 6-0 burst to build a nine-point margin at the 15:55 mark. The teams traded baskets, and Tulane led 67-58, before the Wave used an 8-0 run to push its lead to 17. Britt Themann hit a pair of free throws to give Tulane an 11-point lead. Sarah Goree added a fast-break lay-up thanks to a Kelly Nadeau assist, while Nadeau hit a jumper of her own. Gwen Slaughter capped the run with a lay-up, again on an assist from Nadeau, to give Tulane a 75-58 lead with 9:34 left.
The Green Wave would need every bit of that cushion, however, as DePaul fought back to within three with 33 seconds left. But Tulane hit four free throws inside the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.
"This was another team win," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "Sarah Goree gave us a lift in the first half and Gwen Slaughter did the same in the second. Everyone contributed. With a team like DePaul that can shoot so well outside, you never feel like a lead is safe, but we hit our free throws down the stretch."
Goree led Tulane with 21 points and hit three three-pointers. She added a career-high eight rebounds and had three assists. Slaughter, limited to just 20 minutes, was productive in that time, adding 20 points and 11 rebounds. Britt Themann had 13 points off the bench, thanks to a 10-of-11 showing from the free throw line, while Nadeau had nine points, eight assists and two steals.
DePaul jumped out to an 11-point lead midway through the first half, but Goree and Themann led a Tulane charge that saw the Green Wave take a one-point lead into the locker room. The Blue Demons held a 30-19 lead before Themann hit a pair of free throws and Goree added a charity toss to cut the lead to eight. DePaul added two free throws to push the lead back to 10, but Themann hit another two free throws and Goree fed Lakethia Hampton for a lay-up to trim the DePaul lead to 32-26 at the 5:59 mark. Goree added a lay-up and a free throw to pull Tulane to within three and then assisted on a Themann three-pointer the notted the score at 32-32 with 5:13 left. DePaul pushed the lead back to four, but Goree nailed a long three-pointer and then scored on a lay-up to give Tulane a 39-38 lead. After a Demon basket gave DePaul a one-point lead, Goree hit another three-pointerand Hampton scored on a lay-up to give Tulane a 44-40 cushion and the Wave would take a 44-43 lead into the halftime break.
Hampton tied her career high with nine points and pulled down seven rebounds. Tulane held DePaul to just 35.1 percent shooting in the second half, while hitting 43.8 percent of its own shots in that stanza. The Green Wave also used its height advantage to post a 38-20 edge in points in the paint.
Tulane returns to action on Sunday, as the Green Wave will take on the winner of the TCU-Saint Louis quarterfinal. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the DePaul Athletic Center.
