Tulane University
9-1
Miami
8-3
Tulane Earns Thrilling 70-65 Win vs Miami
Dec 19, 2014 | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS - In a battle between two eight win teams, it was the Tulane University women's basketball squad that moved to 9-1 after a thrilling 70-65 win over the visiting Miami Hurricanes (8-3) in the final game of the 19th annual DoubleTree Classic. After two wins in consecutive days, Kolby Morgan and Danielle Blagg were honored by being named to the All-Tournament Team.
The first half was a tale of early turnovers and multiple runs. Tulane jumped out to an early 8-4 lead thanks to pair of three-pointers from Blagg and Kaplan. Then Miami countered with a 9-0 run to grab a 13-8 lead at the halfway point of the first stanza.
Next, it was Tulane's turn to produce a long run, utilizing a 5-of-7 spurt from the field to crank out 10 straight points. Add in six Miami turnovers, a pair of three's from Adesuwa Ebomwonyi, and Tulane's defense holding the Hurricanes without a field goal for five and a half minutes, and the Green Wave stretched the run to 19-3 and led 27-16 with three minutes to go until halftime.
Yet, Miami rallied once more, recording a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to one (29-28) heading into half. Both teams finished with 14 total turnovers heading into their locker rooms, but it was Tulane that capitalized by converting them into 16 points compared to Miami's seven.
"Both teams had a lot of turnovers and both were pretty sloppy which kept it even," said Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton on the first half. "I thought for us we just started calming down and were a little more patient on offense. That was really key - not to try and make things happen so quickly. They are a very good defensive team. I thought we showed a lot more poise and patience later on in the half. Again I think defensively we did a super job of having Miami run half-court offense. That was our goal - not to give a lot of buckets in transition. I thought that was a very important part of the game."
The Green and Blue sped out of the gates to start the second half, playing definition team basketball with quick strike passes and a defensive pressure that resulted in two Miami turnovers, two uncontested Green Wave layups, and a Kaplan three-pointer for a 7-0 run.
With the Hurricanes within five at 37-32 with 16:38 remaining, Danielle Blagg made her presence known in the second half, connecting on a three to extend the lead, then taking a charge down on the other end of the court.
Tulane then cranked out another 7-0 run, thus a 15-4 run to start the half, as the team play continued with baskets from Dale and Ebomwonyi, with assists on both.
Up 48-34 with 13:30 remaining, Miami simply would not go away, scoring 10 straight points to pull within four. Yet, after a Tulane timeout at 11:23, Tierra Jones ended the Green Wave scoring drought with a layup assisted by Latham.
Later on with Miami within two at 50-48, Jones came up big - after hitting her first free throw, the junior grabbed her own rebound after a missed second attempt, then converted the layup for a unique three-point play.
Next, up 60-53 with under two minutes remaining, the Wave provided the very definition of clutch. The Green And Blue entered the under two-minute mark just 12-of-23 from the free-throw line, but thanks to Dale, Morgan, Latham, Kaplan and Vorpahl, the squad hit their next 10-of-12 from the line to hold off a Miami attack that sunk three consecutive three's to make it a tight game.
"We were on the free-throw line very early on in the (second) half," Stockton explained. "That really made it tough when they were being aggressive. Also our defense made them really work for shots. Again it was a really balanced game for us."
Kolby Morgan finished with a game high 18 points on a 5-for-7 day from the field, including a perfect 8-for-8 night from the free-throw line. The freshman also achieved a team high seven rebounds to go along with her four assists and four steals.
Meanwhile, the squad shot 44.7 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 62.9 percent from the line, compared to Miami's 40.4 percent, 36.8 percent and 48.0 percent, respectively. The Green Wave also outrebounded the Hurricanes 37 to 33.
Tonight's victory marked the fifth time in program history that Tulane earned nine wins in the first 10 games, and the first since the 2001-02 season. It also marked the second victory this season over a top-15 nationally ranked defense.
Up next, the Green Wave look to stay undefeated at home (5-0) when they host (RV) Florida State on Monday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. CT.
All-Tournament Team
Samford - Hannah Nichols
UCLA - Nirra Fields
Miami - Jannassy Williams
Tulane - Danielle Blagg
Tulane - Kolby Morgan
MVP
Miami - Adrienne Motley
