Tulane University
Cal State Fullerton
Women's Basketball Defeats Cal State Fullerton, 80-62
Nov 28, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2010
Tulane/Cal State Fullerton Game Book in PDF Format 
BERKELEY, Calif. - Junior center Brett Benzio scored a season-high 18 points and tied for team-high rebounding honors with eight as the Tulane University women's basketball team defeated Cal State Fullerton 80-62 in the consolation game of the Colliers International Classic Sunday afternoon at the University of California's Haas Pavilion.
Benzio, who has been hampered with an elbow injury suffered in the second game of the 2010-11 season, hit 9-of-15 shots from the field and five of her rebounds came off the offensive glass. With the win, Tulane improved to 5-1 on the year. Cal State Fullerton, meanwhile, fell to 3-4 overall.
"Brett knew she had to play a big role today and did a super job both offensively and defensively," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "Those easy shots in the paint are something that we've been missing. That's going to be key to have the rest of the season. We played much better today. I thought we played more focused, we made better decisions and our shot selection was better."
As a team, the Green Wave hit a season-best 51.5 percent of their shots from the field after converting 34-of-66 attempts, including a 4-of-9 performance from beyond the 3-point arc (.444). Defensively, Tulane held the Titans to a 35.0 clip (21-of-60), including an 8-for-30 showing in the second half as the Green Wave held Cal State Fullerton without a basket over the final 7:34 of the ballgame.
Sophomore guard Olivia Grayson led all players with 20 points, nine of which came from 3-point land. Senior point guard Roshaunda Barnes and Whitney Bibbins joined her and Benzio in the double-digit scoring club with 15 points each. Bibbins tied Benzio for the team's rebounding lead while Barnes and Grayson each had six of Tulane's 19 assists.
Despite being without the services of senior forward Brittany Lindsey - who suffered a concussion in Saturday's contest against Portland State - Tulane out-scored Cal State Fullerton in the paint, 56-22, and out-rebounded the Titans, 40-35.
The game began as a slugfest as the two teams matched each other basket-for-basket over the first 8:20 of the first half. With Cal State Fullerton leading 20-19 with 11:40 on the clock, however, Tulane went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:50 to take a 29-20 lead it would not relinquish.
The Green Wave led by as many as 14 twice in the opening stanza before the Titans closed the half with five straight points to make it a 41-32 contest at the break. A Benzio layup 1:47 into the second half pushed the advantage back to 11 and the lead never got below double digits the rest of the way. Benzio's basket sparked a 12-5 Green Wave rally to start the half and expand the lead to 16 at 53-37 with 15:27 remaining in regulation.
Cal State Fullerton whittled the lead down to 11 on three occasions, the last coming at the 4:52 mark when Megan Richardson connected on a pair of free throws to make it 69-58. From there, however, Tulane went on an 11-2 run capped by a layup by freshman post Laura Stokes to make it a 20-point contest. The Titans' Alex Thomas accounted for the games' final points with two free throws with 3.1 seconds to play.
"I was concerned going into the second half because of fatigue and our lower numbers," Stockton said. "The team really gutted it out defensively, took a lot of opportunities away from them, and finished the game. That was good to see."
Lyndsey Grove led Cal State Fullerton with 14 points while Richardson was close behind with 12. Mya Olivier paced the Titans with seven rebounds, Richardson and Jenna Breite shared team-high assist honors with three each, and Richardson posted a game-high two steals.
The Green Wave return to action on Friday, Dec. 3, when Tulane opens play in the Big Easy Classic against St. Joseph's at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. The three-day event continues on Saturday when St. Joe's plays Detroit at 5 p.m., and the tourney concludes on Sunday when the Green Wave battle Detroit at 4 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2010-11 Tulane women's basketball season can still be purchased through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Floor seats are $100 each while reserved and general admission tickets go for $85 and $50, respectively. In addition, Green Wave fans can purchase a Family 4-Pack (two adult, two youth tickets) for $150. Tulane faculty and staff can purchase season tickets at all levels for half price.
The Tulane Athletics Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, and tickets can be purchased in person, over the phone at (504) 861-WAVE (9283) via the Internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
