WBB Preps for Showdown at Ole Miss on Wednesday
Dec 15, 2015 | Women's Basketball
| Game 9: Tulane Green Wave (5-3) at Ole Miss (6-4) | |
| When | Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. CT |
| Where | Oxford, Miss. | C.M. Smith Tad Coliseum (8,867) |
| Tickets | |
| Watch | SECN+ web stream |
| Listen | WRBH 88.3 FM - Gus Kattengell |
| Live Stats | |
| Printable Notes | Tulane | Ole Miss |
| Social Media | @GreenWaveWBB  | #RollWave | Facebook  | YouTube |
NEW ORLEANS - With final exams now in the books, the Tulane women's basketball team will finally return to action, playing in just their second game of the month, when they travel to Oxford, Mississippi, for a Wednesday, Dec. 16, showdown at Ole Miss. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network+ web stream on WatchESPN.
"Exams can be a stressful time," Tulane women's basketball head coach Lisa Stockton stated. "We've done some different things with them including some small group work, some conditioning, and a little more skill development. Then, these past four or five practices we've gone back to team drills. Hopefully our confidence will be high and we'll go in and play well. The challenge lies in not playing in awhile and knocking the rust off."
The Green Wave are off to a 5-3 start after knocking off McNeese State, 74-55, on Dec. 6; a victory in which 10 Tulane players scored points and the Wave shot a season best 54.2 percent from the field. Kolby Morgan led with 19 points, marking her third straight game with at least 19 points and six made field goals.
Chinwe Duru has also seen her production increase as of late, as the senior center has collected a season best six rebounds in three straight games, recording 24 total points in that span.
The Olive and Blue have taken advantage of jumping on opponents early, outscoring its opposition 133-100 in the first quarter, as the +33 scoring differential is the highest out of any other period. Also important to note that Tulane has yet to lose after garnering a lead after the end of each quarter, boasting a 4-0 mark in each scenario.
Ole Miss will enter Wednesday's contest with a 6-4 record and the winners of five of their past six. This past week, the Rebels lost 57-38 to Southern Miss but bounced back with a 97-59 win vs. UNO. Freshman guard Torri Lewis scored 36 points in the victory, knocking down 10-of-22 from three-point range.
Sophomore guard Shandrick Sessom leads the way for Ole Miss with 18.1 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting. Sessom also leads in total steals with 21. In addition, junior forward Brett Hart leads the rebounding effort with 7.9 boards per game.
Ole Miss' key stat lies in its +9.4 turnover margin. The Rebels are averaging an impressive 24.0 forced turnovers per game, along with 12.6 steals.
"We've really worked on our offenses and tried to polish them up," Stockton added. "Defensively, just being a little more disciplined. Our challenge against an Ole Miss team is going to be them putting a lot of pressure on us and being able to handle that kind of pressure in a road environment."
Tulane and Ole Miss are tied 2-2 in the all-time series, which began back in 1994. The two last played on Nov. 30, 2013, with the Wave suffering defeat. However, Tulane is 1-0 in Oxford, with the win dating back to Nov. 21, 1997.
Be sure to follow the Tulane women's basketball team on Twitter @GreenWaveWBB for all behind the scene and in-game updates.
