Tulane University
13-3, 4-1
UCF
6-10, 2-3
WBB Downs UCF, 71-70, On Last Second Lay-Up
Jan 13, 2015 | Women's Basketball
ORLANDO, Fla. - In one of the most thrilling endings to a game this season for Tulane women's basketball, it was freshman Kolby Morgan who answered the call and helped deliver the last second 71-70 win at Central Florida on Tuesday night. With four seconds left, the freshman connected on the game-winning lay-up to move Tulane to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
"First of all, Central Florida played an excellent game. I give them a lot of credit for really coming to play today. I felt like we did a nice job tonight. Danielle hit that outside three (in the final minute). Chinwe was really big for us in the second half. We knew who we were going to go to. With as much pressure as they were putting on us, we felt like Kolby could get to the basket and she did a super job," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said.
UCF jumped out to an 8-2 lead thanks to an early 8-2 rebounding advantage and a Tulane 0-6 start from the field. Leslie Vorpahl got the offense started when she delivered a greet feed to the post as Tiffany Dale connected on a layup and the squad's first field goal at the 14:24 mark.
After a Courtnie Latham basket pulled the Green Wave within two, the Knights recorded an 8-0 run to gain a 16-6 lead at 11:01. However, the Olive and Blue rallied behind the trio of Dale, Morgan and Danielle Blagg, who combined to score the squad's next 18 points, to once again pull within two at 26-24.
Next, Leslie Vorpahl sunk back-to-back three's to give Tulane their first lead of the half, 30-28, since Kaplan's free throw in the opening minute. Yet, the Knights kept the Wave scoreless over the final 3:43 of the half as UCF produced a 9-0 run to take a 37-30 lead into the locker room.
The second half essentially seemed like Tulane vs UCF's Zykira Lewis, who scored 24 of her 27 points in said half, thus 24 of the Knight's next 33 points.
Chinwe Duru, who started the second period, provided a huge spark for the Green Wave from the get-go, scoring the squad's first eight points to maintain the deficit at seven points (45-38).
Next, Danielle Blagg hit consecutive three pointers in two straight offensive possessions, both assisted by Kaplan who accomplished her 500th career assist on the play. Tierra Jones then delivered a boost, tallying two free throws then a fast break layup, which was once again assisted by Kaplan. The 12-2 run resulted in their first lead of the half at 48-47, with 13:31 left to play.
After a UCF timeout, Zykira Lewis sunk back-to-back treys to give the Knights a lead they would only relinquish in the final seconds.
Down seven, 63-56, following yet another Zykira Lewis three-pointer, Danielle Blagg answered with a three pointer of her own to cut the lead to four. After Lewis then hit a jumper in the paint, Duru and Morgan combined to produce a 7-2 run that was capped by an old fashioned three-point play from Morgan.
With 44 seconds left, the Green Wave defense stood their ground but Lewis responded with a desperation three from long range that banked off the glass. On Tulane's ensuing possession, Kolby Morgan missed a layup but Kaplan grabbed a clutch offensive board and immediately dished to Blagg, who then hit her fifth and most important three of the night.
Down 70-69 with 21 seconds remaining, Tulane immediately fouled and sent Andrea Hines to the free throw line, a 77.8 percent shooter on the year. Yet, Hines missed the front end of the one-and-one and Blagg was there to reel in the rebound.
Next, Kolby Morgan found the ball in her hands with just under 10 seconds left on the clock. The freshman drove down the right side of the key, and with two defenders in front of her, delivered the game-winning lay-up with four seconds to spare.
Morgan finished with 16 points and a team high eight rebounds, marking the second straight game with 15+ points. Meanwhile, Danielle Blagg finished with both a season and team high 20 points. Her seven made field goals and five three-pointers were season highs as well. Furthermore, Chinwe Duru finished with 12 points, which all came in the second half. The junior tied her season high in a 6-for-10 night from the free throw line.
In addition, Kaplan's team high six assists moved the senior into second place on the all-time career assists list, surpassing current graduate assistant Olivia Grayson (499). Her 503 career assists ranks 10th amongst all active NCAA Division-I women's basketball players.
Tulane finished 38.6 percent from the field compared to Central Florida's 41.5 percent. After being outrebounded 27-20 in the first half, the Wave finished with 41 boards compared to the Knights' 40. Finally, Tulane tallied 19 points off of 16 forced turnovers.
Up next, the Wave will look to keep the wins rolling at home, when they return to Devlin Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 17, to host SMU (4-11, 0-4) at 2 p.m. CT. You can purchase either single game or season tickets via calling the Tulane ticket office at 504-861-WAVE (9283), online at tulanegreenwave.com, or in person at the Wilson Athletics Center on Ben Weiner Drive between 9 am - 5 pm. Single game prices include: $20 courtside, $10 chairback and $5 bleacher.
