Tulane University
Oral Roberts
Women's Basketball Falls To Oral Roberts In WNIT Second Round, 92-86
Mar 21, 2011 | Women's Basketball
March 21, 2011
Tulane/Oral Roberts Game Book in PDF Format 
TULSA, Okla. - Senior forward Danielle Nunn had a career-high 37 points and the Green Wave scored a season-best 86 but it was not enough as the Tulane University women's basketball team dropped a 92-86 decision to host Oral Roberts in the second round of the 2011 WNIT Monday evening at the Mabee Center.
The Wave led 86-82 with 1:42 left to play, but committed three turnovers, attempted just one field goal and were called for five fouls down the stretch. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, hit 6-of-8 free throws over the final 48 seconds to come away with the win. In defeat, Tulane concludes the 2010-11 season 23-11. Oral Roberts improves to 23-10 on the year and advances to take on Arkansas in the third round of the WNIT.
"It was an unbelievable game for her," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said of Nunn's effort. "We felt that every time she touched the ball, she was going to score and do some great things. I felt that we executed the game plan. Their match-up zone was going to be tough for us, but just look at the numbers.
"We shot 46 percent from the field, 47 percent from the three and 80 percent from the line - those are huge numbers and it's unfortunate. I hate it for our seniors so badly. I thought we left everything out here today and the people of New Orleans should be very proud of this team. Every play, I don't think anyone took a play off and I thought that was so key."
For the game, Tulane hit 46.0 percent of its shots from the field (29-of-63), fired true on 9-of-19 3-pointers (.474) and connected on 19-of-24 free throws (.792). Defensively, the Green Wave held the Golden Eagles to a .387 clip (29-of-75), but the game came down to free throws and rebounding as Oral Roberts hit 27-of-32 freebies, out-rebounded the Green Wave 45-39, and turned 24 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points.
Nunn hit 11-of-18 field goals and 15-of-17 free throws to lead the Green Wave. Her 37 points ranks tied for sixth in Tulane single-game scoring history and is the most since Janelle Burse put up 39 against DePaul on Feb. 3, 2000. Nunn's 15 free throws made ranks second in school single-game history and while her 17 shots from the charity stripe ranks tied for sixth.
Senior point guard Roshaunda Barnes was next for Tulane with 18 points while sophomore guard Olivia Grayson had 11. Barnes led the team with five assists, junior center Brett Benzio pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds and Grayson added three steals.
"The WNIT is hard to play in because you're traveling," Stockton said. "We've been here three days. It's been a tough road trip. The kids have been great, the energy here was so good and the bench was so good. It's just disappointing and I hate to lose it this way."
The Green Wave held a 49-45 advantage at halftime and led by as many as seven twice in the second half. With Tulane holding a 62-55 edge with 13 minutes to play, however, Oral Roberts started its comeback with a 5-0 run to make it a two-point ballgame at 62-60 1:45 later. Tulane responded to push its lead to five at 66-61 and again at 68-63, but the Golden Eagles responded with an 8-0 run to go ahead 69-68 with 7:55 left in regulation.
The two teams traded the next eight points before senior forward Tiffany Aidoo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stake Tulane to a 78-73 lead with 5:27 showing on the clock. The Wave held a six-point advantage at 81-75 over the next 1:21, but a Nunn layup with 3:06 to play proved to be the team's final basket of the ballgame to set up the Golden Eagles' late-game rally.
"It was a great seasons," Stockton said. "When you have lofty goals, sometimes you get disappointed. But 23 wins is tremendous, especially with our schedule. I thought our league was tremendously competitive this year and there were a lot of great seniors out there. It's great to be a part of Conference USA. It's a special league and we're going to have a lot of good days ahead.
"I'd like to take a moment to thank our seniors and their families for what they've meant to the program and what they've meant to me personally. They've been really special and I thank them for their time at Tulane. They are all graduating in the spring, which is also really special."
Kevi Luper - the nation's leading scorer - led Oral Roberts with 29 points. She was just 6-of-21 from the field, but converted 17-of-19 free throws and added a game-high seven steals. Georgia Jones, meanwhile, was next for the Golden Eagles with 22 points while Jordan Pyle and Dominique Allen had 13 and 10, respectively. Allen led ORU with nine rebounds and Priscila Cergol paced the club with four assists.
