Manuirirangi Leads Tulane in Win at Wichita State, 61-56

Sunday, January 5

Wichita, Kan.

2 p.m.

Tulane University

6-8,1-0AAC

Wichita State

8-7,0-2AAC

Tulane

Wichita St.

Manuirirangi Leads Tulane in Win at Wichita State, 61-56

Jan 5, 2020 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Pierce Feltner

WICHITA, Kan. – The Tulane University women's basketball team defeated Wichita State, 61-56, at Charles Koch Arena.

Tulane (6-8, 1-0) outrebounded Wichita State (8-7, 0-2) 38-31. The Green Wave shot 41.3 (19-46) percent from the field and 40.0 (8-20) percent from three, while holding the Shockers to 33.9 (20-59) percent overall and 27.3 (6-22) from three. The Olive and Blue logged 14 assists, 21 points off turnovers and 26 bench points.

"We hit some outside shots," Green Wave head coach Lisa Stockton said. "Sierra [Cheatham] hit a couple threes and loosened it up a little bit so we could get the ball inside. Our defense was a lot more stingy toward the end of the first quarter. I loved our energy tonight. I thought we played really hard. We made some mistakes, but we played through them."

Senior Kayla Manuirirangi led the way for Tulane with 14 points, while juniors Krystal Freeman and Sierra Cheatham added 12 points each. Cheatham grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and Freeman logged six. Sophomore Mia Heide added six points, four rebounds and two assists.

"I thought her teammates really did a great job of driving to the basket and finding her," Stockton said of Manuirirangi. "Having her and Sierra out there at the same time presented problems for them because it was hard to guard both of them."

The Shockers opened the second half with an 11-2 run to take a 39-36 lead. Freshman Anijah Grant ended the run with a layup and Wichita State grabbed a 42-41 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Manuirirangi opened the fourth quarter with two straight threes and tied the game at 47 with eight minutes left to play. After a Freeman and-1, Tulane grabbed a 53-50 lead with five minutes to play. The Green Wave extended the lead to 57-52 with free throws from Heidi and a jumper from junior Arsula Clark.

Wichita State cut the lead to 57-56 with 26.5 seconds to play. Manuirirangi stepped to the free throw line and knocked down two with 23.6 seconds left to push the lead to 59-56. The Green Wave forced a turnover on the Shockers next possession and Freeman stepped up to the line to set the final score at 61-56.

In the first quarter, Wichita State jumped out to a 12-3 lead, but the Green Wave closed the quarter on a 16-4 run to take a 19-16 lead after one. Cheatham led the way for the Olive and Blue with five points in the first period.

The teams traded blows in the second quarter with Tulane taking a 34-28 lead after the first two periods. In the first half, the Green Wave outshot the Shockers .444-.407 from the field and .462-.200 from three. Cheatham led the way with 11 points and three rebounds for the Olive and Blue, while freshman Salma Bates dished out three assists.

Up next, the Green Wave will continue American Athletic Conference play as they host Tulsa on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the Avron B. Fogelman Arena at the Devlin Fieldhouse.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2019-20 season can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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