Temple Headed to Town to Face Women's Basketball on Wednesday Night

GAME 24: TULANE GREEN WAVE (11-12, 3-7 AAC) vs. TEMPLE OWLS (10-12, 2-7 AAC)
When:	Wednesday, February 7 \| 7 p.m. CST
Where:	New Orleans \| Fogelman in Devlin
Watch:	ESPN3
Radio:	WRBH 88.3 FM \| Listen Online
Live Scoring:	Sidearm Stats
Notes:	Tulane \| Temple
Social:	@GreenWaveWBB

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane women's basketball team is ready to defend its home court against Temple on Wednesday, as the Owls come to New Orleans for a 7 p.m. showdown. This will be the teams' only meeting this season.

Wednesday's contest will air live on ESPN3 with Tim Grubbs and Angel Gray serving as commentators. The game will also be broadcast on the radio in New Orleans on WRBH 88.3 FM with Gus Kattengell on the call.

Wednesday night will also be Tulane's annual Play4Kay game for breast cancer awareness. All fans can get into the game for a special price of just $3. The contest will also be Tulane's Mardi Gras night with beads and fanny packs being given away.

STARTING FIVE
1.   Tulane started hot, fell behind and nearly rallied in an up-and-down game against No. 23 USF on Saturday. The Bulls eventually won 63-53 after staving off a 14-0 Tulane run.
2.   Senior Kolby Morgan scored 11 points in the game against the Bulls, moving up to second all-time in team history in career points. Morgan is now 170 points shy of the Tulane record.
3.   Freshman Sierra Cheatham led Tulane in scoring Saturday for the first time all season, putting up 12 points on a career-high four 3-pointers.
4.   The two biggest contributors to the Green Wave's loss Saturday was a 51-26 edge in rebounding for USF and a 28-7 edge for the Bulls in attempted free throws.
5.   Since joining the AAC for the 2014-15 season, the Green Wave holds a 32-30 record in conference play. Tulane has finished fifth in the league standings during all three of its seasons. Tulane is 1-6 lifetime against Temple, and the Owls have won five straight in the series.

SERIES HISTORY – TEMPLE
•   Tulane and Temple first met in 2008, but the teams have faced off six times since 2015 when they found themselves league rivals in the American Athletic Conference.
•   Temple has a 6-1 lead in the all-time series with Tulane's lone victory coming in 2015 in their first meeting as conference foes.
•   Temple has won five straight in the series including two games by scores of 86-71 and 76-50 last year.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
•   The Owls, based in Philadelphia, are 10-12 on the year and hold a 2-7 record in the American Athletic Conference. Temple was on a seven-game losing streak before it defeated Tulsa on Saturday.
•   Leading the way for the Owls this year is Tanaya Atkinson, whose 22.2 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game are both best in the conference. Mia Davis is also averaging in double figures with 11.8 points per game.
•   Atkinson is the team's leading passer with 62 total assists and is second in the nation with 180 attempted free throws.

TULANE IN THE AAC
Since joining the AAC for the 2014-15 season, the Green Wave holds a 32-30 record in conference play. Tulane has finished fifth in the league standings during all three of its seasons. This is Tulane's fourth season in the league after spending the previous 19 seasons in Conference USA.

SECOND-BEST SCORER EVER AT TULANE
Entering Saturday's game against USF, Kolby Morgan needed just three points to move up to second place all-time in team history. She scored those points in the first quarter, officially passing Stacey Gaudet and her 2,080 career points. Morgan now has 2,089 points, 170 away from the school record held by Grace Daley.

If Tulane plays only seven more games on the year, Morgan would break the program record by averaging 24.2 points per game. If Tulane plays 10 more games this year – the same as it did in 2016-17 – Morgan could break the program record with 17.0 points per game. She is averaging 19.8 points per game this year.

CHEATHAM LEADS THE WAY
For the first time all year, freshman Sierra Cheatham was Tulane's leading scorer in a game. Cheatham, who has started the last seven games, scored 12 points in the game on a career-best four made 3-pointers against USF on Saturday. The freshman is now fifth on the team with 5.2 points per game, but she is averaging 6.9 points per game in conference play to tie for third on the roster.

14-0 RUN
Trailing by 17 points late in the third quarter against USF on Saturday, the Green Wave went on a huge 14-0 run to cut the Bulls' lead to just three points. In a span of just over three minutes of game time, Tulane's rally began with a Morgan and-1 layup, and Kayla Manuirirangi followed with a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter. Morgan added another jumper to make it a 8-0 run, and Harlyn Wyatt forced a USF timeout with an and-1 layup of her own with 8:17 left in the game. Sierra Cheatham closed the 14-0 run with a 3-pointer after the Bulls timeout, and the Green Wave were within 3 points.

SHE CAN PASS, TOO
Kolby Morgan is known for her scoring, but the senior has been on quite a run of passing lately. Morgan is averaging 4.2 assists per game during conference play, leading Tulane in that category against AAC foes. Morgan has had at least five assists in five league games including nine against Houston on January 6. In conference-only games, her 4.2 assists per game ties her for third in the league.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
vs. USF:
•   Sierra Cheatham got her 50th rebound.
•   Kayla Manuirirangi scored her 250th point.
•   Maddison Wells scored her 100th point.
Coming up soon:
•   Ksenija Madzarevic is 5 points shy of 100.
•   Kolby Morgan needs two more made free throws for 400.
•   Maddison Wells needs four more rebounds for 100.
•   Harlyn Wyatt will reach 400 rebounds with four more.
•   Tene Thompson is five field goals away from 100.

NEXT UP
Tulane will embark on a two-game road trip through the AAC over the next 10 days, heading to Cincinnati and Memphis. First up on the road trip will be the Bearcats on Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 12 p.m. from Saint Ursula Academy.

Temple Headed to Town to Face Women's Basketball on Wednesday Night

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Players Mentioned

Sierra Cheatham

Ksenija Madzarevic

Kayla Manuirirangi

Kolby Morgan

Tene Thompson

Maddison Wells

Harlyn Wyatt

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