Tulane University
9-5,5-4AAC
Temple
5-6,5-3AAC
Jordan and Heide Lead Tulane Past Temple, 80-44
Jan 30, 2021 | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University women's basketball team defeated Temple, 80-44, in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse this afternoon.
Tulane (9-5, 5-4) outshot Temple (5-6, 5-3), .557-.302 from the field and out-rebounded the Owls 40-29. The Green Wave recorded 10 steals and forced 17 Temple turnovers. Tulane capitalized on the turnovers by scoring 20 points off the change of possession.
"Defense was the key," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "In the second quarter, they shot almost 67 percent, which closed the gap. Our offense was good every quarter. Our percentages were good, and we were not turning the ball over. It really came down to picking up our defensive intensity."
After trailing 35-34 at the half, Tulane took over in the second half, outscoring the Owls 46-9. Freshman guard Jerkaila Jordan led all scorers and tied her career-high with 22 points, without playing in the fourth quarter for rest.
The freshman guard also logged four rebounds, four assists and five steals, while shooting 10-14 from the field. Junior forward Mia Heide added career-highs of 13 points and four assists. She also led the Green Wave with seven rebounds. Sophomore Anijah Grant also registered career-highs with six points and seven rebounds.
Tulane started the second half in a 2-3 zone and immediately went on a 14-2 run, taking a 48-37 lead with 5:50 to go in the quarter. This run was part of a bigger 24-0 run by the Wave that spanned from 8:53 mark to 2:27 mark in the third. The Green Wave stretched the lead to 23, leading 64-41 after three quarters. Heide led the Wave with eight points in the period.
After a dominant third quarter, Tulane did not take the foot off the gas. The Olive and Blue outscored Temple 16-3, getting contributions from Grant (six points and seven rebounds) and senior guard Kaila Anderson (six points).
The Green Wave outscored Temple 44-22 in the paint, 10-3 on second chance points, 19-4 on the fast break and 16-12 from the bench.
Tulane jumped out the gate hot, starting the game on a 12-4 run shooting 5-7 from the field in the first four minutes. Junior guard Dynah Jones scored eight points in the first quarter, including two threes. The Green Wave shot the ball at a 57.1 percent clip in the first quarter, which led to a 21-16 lead going into the second period.
Temple battled back using a 12-6 run to take the lead with 5:26 left in the second quarter. Temple led 35-34 at the break.
Jordan led all scorers at the half with 16 points. She also contributed four rebounds and three steals in the opening 20 minutes.
Mia Davis led the Owls with 14 points and Alexa Williamson added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Up next, the Green Wave will be back at the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse Sunday, Jan. 31, for the second game of the two-game series against Temple. The game will tip at 11 a.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
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