Green Wave Drops Tight Battle to the Tide - Tulane University Athletics

Sunday, November 8

New Orleans, LA

12:00 PM

Tulane University

1-1,0-0American

Alabama

4-0,0-0SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Alabama	22	16	17	13	68
Tulane	14	22	14	13	63

Game Notes Postgame Press Conference

Nov 8, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference

By: Wyatt Streett

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane gave Alabama everything it had Sunday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse, pushing the Crimson Tide to its limit despite a 68-63 loss. The Green Wave forced 21 Tide turnovers and took the game down to the wire behind a trio of double-digit scorers in front of a national audience on ESPN2. The Wave moves to 1-1 on the campaign as Alabama improves to 4-0.

Gritty defense was the theme of the day for both teams. Alabama shot 35.6 percent from the floor with a 30.4 percent three-point clip, besting Tulane's 27.8 percent overall mark and 16.7 percent three-point clip. The Tide barely won the glass, 49-44, but Tulane was better offensively with 15 O-boards to Alabama's 10. The Wave forced 21 Tide turnovers for 13 points with Tulane committing 14 giveaways for just nine Alabama points. Two-thirds of the Alabama giveaways were Tulane steals (14) with the Tide swiping eight. Each team collected at least five blocks, with Tulane edging out that battle 6-5.

Three Tulane players scored in double figures, led by Khadee Hession's 19 points. She made a pair of threes as the only Wave player with multiple, adding two blocks and steals with three boards. Kanija Daniel delivered 17 points with Edina Strausz contributing 13. Strausz added a team-best and career-high 13 rebounds to notch her first-career double-double, the first by a Tulane player this season. Asha Sra posted eight boards, and Daniel secured six. Daniel and Ja'Kyah Smith tied for the team lead in assists with four apiece as the only players with multiple. Hession and Strausz tied for the blocking lead with two each, and Smith's career-best four swipers led the team. Five total players had two-plus with Hession, Daniel, Strausz, and Makayla Carter all collecting a pair.

The game was tight the whole way as the largest lead for either squad was a 13-point advantage by Alabama, which came at the 8:24 mark in the second quarter. The remainder of the contest saw the programs remain within 12 points of one another. Furthermore, the game featured four lead changes and five ties.

Alabama won the opening tip and opened the game with two threes. Khadee Hession scored Tulane's first points at the charity stripe, and the quick Tide start was relatively nullified when Ja'Kyah Smith hit her own trey. The Tide responded with another three, but Edina Strausz scored to bring the Wave within 9-7. Tulane pulled within one point twice, but a three for Alabama stretched its lead to 15-11 and sparked an eight-point run that turned into a 20-11 advantage with 1:19 to go in the opening quarter. Hession deposited a three to break the Bama spell, but the Tide put in a layup to end the frame with a 22-14 lead.

The second quarter opened with five-straight Tide points, pushing their lead to 27-14. However, the Wave refused to quit and pushed back with another triple by Hession. After the teams traded layups, Hession and Strausz scored back-to-back buckets. Both defenses clamped down for almost two minutes of no field goals as each team put home some free throws. Alabama scored with 4:30 on the clock and pulled back out by 10 with a pair of foul shots. Kanija Daniel put home a jumper to bring the margin back to single-digits, which sparked an 11-point Tulane run that saw the Wave claim its first lead of the contest at 36-35 with exactly a minute remaining in the half. Ten of the points in the run belonged to Daniel with the one exception being a free throw for Makayla Carter. The half ended however with a three for Alabama, but the Tide's lead was shaved to 38-36 halfway through the game.

Daniel remained hot coming out of the break, scoring the first bucket of the second half. The teams traded points from there, but the Tide pulled out to a 47-39 lead with a three. Hession secured a three-point play to bring Tulane with five, and the Wave kept chipping away as Nataliyah Gray's score trimmed the margin to 50-48 with 3:34 remaining in the third. A pair of Daniel free throws tied the game at the 2:01 mark, but Alabama closed the quarter with five-straight points to hold a narrow 55-50 edge heading into the final frame.

The Tide claimed the first score of the fourth quarter, but Tulane picked up some momentum and pulled within a point, 57-56, after a Strausz layup off a steal by Jayda Brown. Strausz then went to the line and put home a pair of shots to push Tulane back in front at 58-57. Free throws pushed the Tide back ahead, and Alabama hit a three that was quickly nixed by one from Daniel. A Tide layup made the score 64-61 with 3:17 on the clock, and again the defenses got to work. The next points came nearly a minute later with 2:21 to go as Hession scored to bring Tulane within one. Once again the defenses for both teams applied the clamps. Tulane had the ball with about 30 seconds remaining, but a tight backcourt violation call provided possession back to the Tide. Tulane had to start fouling, and on the subsequent trip to the line, Alabama converted just one shot as its lead stood at just 65-63. Tulane had a chance to at least tie the game and potentially force overtime, but the Wave's shot just missed with 13 seconds to go. Alabama secured the rebound and then put the game away at the stripe. Tulane pushed the Tide to its limit, but Alabama would hang on for a 68-63 win.

Tulane's five-game homestand continues on Thursday, November 12, when crosstown foe LSU New Orleans comes to Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. Tip-off against the Privateers is set for 6:30 p.m. The contest will stream on ESPN+ and can be heard on WRBH 88.3 FM and through the Varsity Network app.

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