Tulsa Women’s Basketball vs. UMKC

Friday, November 11 ~ 7:00 pm Central ~ Swinney Recreation Center ~ Kansas City, Mo.

Game Notes: Tulsa

Radio: TU's regular season games can be heard on CHROME 93.5 FM and KWTU 88.7 FM HD2, as well as online on TulsaHurricane.com. Brandon Hart calls play-by-play.

Video: Watch Live

Live Stats: Click Here

Rosters: Tulsa ~ UMKC

Tulsa Facebook: TulsaHurricane ~ TulsaWBasketball

UMKC Facebook: UMKCWBB

Tulsa Twitter: TulsaHurricane ~ TUWBasketball

UMKC Twitter: UMKCWBB

Tulsa Instagram: TulsaHurricanePics ~ TulsaWBB

UMKC Instagram: UMKCWBB

The Coaches
Tulsa: Matilda Mossman (Western Kentucky, 1979), 6th Year
Career Record: 219-174 (13 years)
Record at Tulsa: 72-81 (5 years)

UMKC: Marsha Frese (Rice, 1994), 5th Year
Career Record: 36-82 (4 years)
Record at UMKC: same

In Exhibition
            Four players averaged double-digits during the two exhibition games, including a team-best 14.0 points per game by freshman Kendrian Elliott. Classmate Shug Dickson added 13.0 ppg, while junior Erika Wakefield totaled 12.0 ppg and senior Liesl Spoerl added 11.0 ppg. Elliott also had a team-high 11.0 rebounds per game and four blocks, while Wakefield recorded nine steals and eight assists.

On the Bench
            The Golden Hurricane returns eight letterwinners, including two starters, and one squad member, and welcomes five newcomers this season. The roster features three seniors - Ashley Hughes, Jessica Pongonis and Teanna Reid; three juniors - Ebony Parker, Liesl Spoerl and Erika Wakefield; three sophomores - Tatyana Perez, Crystal Polk and Tyjae' Scales; and five freshmen - Jasmine Butler, Shug Dickson, Kendrian Elliott, Alexis Gaulden and Addison Richards.

Returning Starters
            Tulsa returns two starters from last season, including junior Erika Wakefield and sophomore Tyjae' Scales. Wakefield averaged 8.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, while Scales posted 2.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Hitting Their Mark
            Junior Liesl Spoerl and sophomores Crystal Polk and Tyjae' Scales hit their marks last season, boasting the three best field goal percentages on the team in 2015-16. Polk posted a 48.9 percent clip (64-131), while Spoerl has a 48.7 field goal percentage (37-76), and Scales had a 48.0 percentage (24-50).

Parker for Three
            Tulsa junior-transfer Ebony Parker knocked down an NJCAA Division I record 144 three-point shots last season. In comparison, then TU senior Kelsee Grovey had a team-best 68 three's last season and 233 in her career. The most in a single season at Tulsa was 77 by Athena Pirpich (2000-01), while Grovey's 233 career three's is a school best.

Hurricane Picked Ninth in The American Preseason Coaches' Poll
            In the American Athletic Conference coaches' poll, UConn was predicted to win the 2016-17 American Athletic Conference Championship, while Temple was second and USF third. Tulane, SMU, East Carolina, Memphis, UCF, Tulsa, Cincinnati and Houston round out the poll.

Mossman Has 219 Career Wins
            Matilda Mossman reached the 200-win milestone as Tulsa captured a 70-61 win over UCF on Jan. 31, 2015. Mossman had 67 wins at Arkansas, 80 wins at Kansas State and currently 72 wins at TU for 219 career victories.

In Tulsa's Top 10
            Three current Tulsa women's basketball players have earned their way into Tulsa's Top 10 career lists.
- Ashley Hughes is second in free throw percentage with a .861 clip (31 of 36)
- Crystal Polk is seventh in field goal percentage with a .489 clip (64 of 131)
- Teanna Reid is eighth in three-point field goal percentage with a .363 clip (61 of 168)

UConn to Host American Championship
            UConn will host the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., from March 3-6.
13 Opponents in 2016 Postseason
            Thirteen of Tulsa's opponents played in the postseason in 2015-16, including NCAA teams BYU, Kansas State, Oklahoma, UConn and USF; WNIT teams Arkansas State, Little Rock, Memphis, Saint Louis, South Dakota, Temple and Tulane; and WBI participant New Mexico.

The Non-Conference Slate
            Tulsa announced the 13-game non-conference schedule, which features a potential eight games against 2016 postseason teams, five home contests, including games against Arkansas and the 2016 WNIT Champions South Dakota, and a trip to Albuquerque, N.M., for the UNM Thanksgiving Classic. All 14 of TU's potential non-conference opponents finished last year with double-digit wins, while eight teams played in the postseason.

The League Opponents
            Tulsa will host 11-time National Champion UConn, as well as three other teams that played in the postseason, in American Athletic Conference action. Five teams in The American advanced to postseason play last year, as UConn and USF played in the NCAA Tournament, and Memphis, Temple and Tulane participated in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. (Tulsa will not host Tulane at home this season.)

Tulsa Women's Hoops to Have 10 Games Broadcast Live
            The American Athletic Conference announced that four Tulsa women's basketball games will be produced and distributed live by The American Digital Network (ADN) and will air on TheAmerican.org/dn free of charge, while three additional games will be carried on ESPN3, two will be on the SNY Network and one will be on ESPNU.

Tulsa Women’s Basketball vs. UMKC

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Players Mentioned

Jasmine Butler

Shug Dickson

Kendrian Elliott

Alexis Gaulden

Kelsee Grovey

Ashley Hughes

Ebony Parker

Tatyana Perez

Crystal Polk

Jessica Pongonis

Addison Richards

Tyjae' Scales

Liesl Spoerl

Erika Wakefield