Tulane University
3-3
Green Bay
3-1
Women's Hoops Falls 79-58 to Green Bay
Nov 27, 2015 | Women's Basketball
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ST. THOMAS, V.I. - The Tulane women's basketball team (3-3) battled back-and forth with Green Bay (3-1) on Friday afternoon but a big third quarter run from the Phoenix pushed the opposition ahead as the Green Wave fell 79-58. Kolby Morgan led the team in scoring for the fifth time this season with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field.
"I thought we did a nice job on their two leading scorers and cutting them down a little bit, but they had other players step up," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton stated. "That's a team that was 28-5 last year and finished 23rd in the country. They're a team that'll have different players step up and that's what happened today."
A see-saw battle for the lead was waged in the first half, as there were 13 lead changes along with four ties. By the end of the first quarter, all five Tulane starters had recorded points, but three Green Bay three-pointers gave them an early 17-16 lead.
In the first half, Green Bay turned to guards Allie LeClaire and Kaili Lukan, who scored 11 points each to give the Phoenix a 35-31 lead at halftime. Meanwhile, the Wave's attack was powered by Morgan, who tallied 14 points in the opening half, including a season tying 4-of-5 mark from three point range.
The turning point of the contest came at the 4:52 mark in the 3rd quarter when the Wave were just down two, at 41-39. Green Bay then seized all the momentum by producing a 16-3 run, in which four different players all scored three-pointers. Taylor Emery finally got the Wave back in the scoring column with 55 seconds left, but by then, the Wave were down, 57-45.
Back-to-back baskets from Harlyn Wyatt and Morgan midway through the fourth pulled the Wave within 12 at 63-51, but Green Bay countered once again from beyond the arc with consecutive three's. The Phoenix eventually closed out the 79-58 victory with their season team best 12th three-pointer, finishing 66.7 percent from deep and 54.2 percent overall.
The Green Wave finished with a 39.6 shooting percentage with a 6-for-19 mark from three. Leslie Vorpahl joined Morgan in double figures with 12 points on a 4-for-10 day from the floor. The junior also recorded team highs in steals (3) and assists (6), as the latter marked her third game this year with six or more assists.
For Green Bay, Lukan finished with a game high 25 points while LeClaire's final tally was 20. The two combined for a 13-for-23 day from the field, including eight treys.
"We talked about coming here and playing some of the best teams around," Stockton added. "We got to stay together and keep competing. That's what we have to take from this tournament. We can't simulate how good some teams are until you play them. We're playing them now and we just have to keep getting better and better."
Up next, the Green Wave will look to get back in the win column when they conclude Paradise Jam Tournament play when they battle Virginia at Noon CT on Saturday, Nov. 28. Once again, a free live stream, along with live scoring, will be provided by the tournament and located on www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
