Tulane University
19-6, 10-4
Connecticut
24-1, 13-0
Women's Hoops Falls to No. 1 UConn, 87-39
Feb 14, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. - In the first ever meeting between the Tulane women's basketball team (19-6, 10-4) and the University of Connecticut (24-1, 13-0), it was the No. 1 ranked Huskies who earned an 87-39 win on Saturday in front of over 9,000 fans. Senior guard Danielle Blagg was the lone player in double figures with 10 points and a team high six rebounds.
"I thought we came out pretty loose, got some offensive rebounds, but were really hesitant on our shots. First half was tough," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "Second half we came out and had a lot more confidence and were a little more aggressive."
Tulane's defense forced UConn to miss their first 4-of-5 shots and the Wave was up nine to four in the early rebounding battle, but the Olive and Blue simply couldn't get their shots to fall. The Huskies took an eventual 42-12 advantage into halftime after connecting on 7-of-15 three's, compared to Tulane's 0-or-10 start from beyond the arc.
The Green Wave recoded an improved second half performance from the field, surpassing their first half points total in the opening seven minutes. At the 13:37 mark, Tulane tallied a stretch where they hit their next four of five shots, went on an 8-2 run, and achieved a defensive stand in which UConn stayed off the scoreboard for three and a half minutes.
Yet, the Huskies, who rank 11th in the country in three-point field goals per game, finished four above their average, connecting on 12-of-31 attempts, to power UConn to the final result of 87-39.
Tulane shot 40.7 percent in the second half to finish the game at 30.9 percent (17-55). The Green Wave also shot better from three-point range in the second period, going 5-for-10. Furthermore, in a unique stat, Tulane recorded a 0-for-0 day from the free-throw line.
Freshman Kolby Morgan tallied nine points on a 4-for-10 day. Adesuwa Ebomwonyi followed suit with eight points, achieving her second straight game with seven or more points. Finally, senior guard Jamie Kaplan dished out a team high five assists to go with her five points.
Meanwhile, six UConn players finished in double-digit scoring, led by Moriah Jefferson's 16 points and 4-for-6 performance from beyond the arc. Next, Morgan Tuck produced a team high eight rebounds to go with her 14 points.
Up next, Tulane travels to Philadelphia for a 6 p.m. CT showdown at Temple on Tuesday. The Green Wave downed the Owls, 77-63, at home back on Feb. 7.
