SMU Spoils Women's Basketball Senior Day with 64-60 Win

Sunday, February 24

New Orleans

2 p.m.

Tulane University

SMU

Photo by: Parker Waters

SMU Spoils Women's Basketball Senior Day with 64-60 Win

Feb 24, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – SMU's Arianna Whitfield entered Sunday's game shooting 21 percent from the 3-point line, but she drained 6 of 7 attempts from downtown against the Green Wave as the Mustangs spoiled Tulane's Senior Day with a 64-60 victory at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.

Whitfield finished the game with 24 points, making 8 of her 12 total field goal attempts as the Mustangs outrebounded Tulane 38-31 including 18 offensive rebounds. SMU scored 13 second-chance points and forced 19 Tulane turnovers.

The Green Wave (15-12, 5-9 American Athletic Conference) played a fairly even first quarter and trailed by just 3 at 44-41 late in the third quarter after a 7-0 run. But the Mustangs (10-17, 4-10) scored the next 5 points and went into the final quarter leading by 6.

In the early stages of the fourth quarter, SMU scored the first 4 points, and Whitfield drained her sixth 3-pointer of the day with just under five minutes remaining, giving SMU its largest lead of the game at 58-45.

Tulane cut the SMU lead to as few as 4 points late by extending the game with fouling and forcing SMU turnovers – the teams combined for 12 made free throws in the final three minutes of clock – but the Mustangs' advantage was too much to overcome.

Krystal Freeman led the Green Wave with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Sierra Cheatham posted 15 points including three made 3-pointers.

Sophomore Kaila Anderson was the team's top passer on the day, racking up eight assists, and senior Harlyn Wyatt had a tremendous day on defense with five blocked shots. Freeman led the team with two steals. Cheatham and Dynah Jones tied for second on the team with five rebounds.

Tulane honored its four seniors before the game, as Sunday marked Senior Day for the Green Wave. Wyatt made an impact early in her Senior Day game, subbing in before 30 seconds came off the clock and scoring the team's first point on a free throw. She added a block and two rebounds in seven minutes in the first quarter, as SMU had a narrow 16-15 lead through 10 minutes.

The teams were all tied late in the second quarter at 24-24, but SMU closed the half on an 8-2 run with 5 of those points coming from Johnasia Cash. A Freeman jumper late stopped an 8-0 SMU run and made the Mustangs' lead 32-26 at the break.

The teams each scored 17 points in the third quarter, but it was SMU jumping out to an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter that made the difference in the end.

The Green Wave have a full week off before their next game, as the team will travel to Orlando, Florida, for its final road game of the year. Tulane will take on UCF on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Despite Tulane holding its Senior Day ceremonies on Sunday, Green Wave fans will have one final chance to see seniors Wyatt, Tatyana Lofton, Ksenija Madzarevic and Meredith Schulte play when the team hosts Cincinnati on Lundi Gras (March 4) at 1 p.m. in the regular-season finale.