Perez Leads Tulsa to 64-61 Win Over South Dakota

Saturday, December 16

Vermillion, S.D.

1:00 pm

Tulsa

5-6

South Dakota

6-5

Tulsa

South Dakota

Perez Leads Tulsa to 64-61 Win Over South Dakota

12/16/2017 3:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Game Box (.pdf) | Game Box (html) | Season Stats (.pdf)

Tatyana Perez was one-point shy of tying her career-high with 17 points, while Erika Wakefield added 12 to lead Tulsa to a 64-61 win over South Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D. TU moved to 5-6 on the season, while SD fell to 6-5 overall.

"It was great to get this win, especially on the road against a team that shoots the ball so well," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "Tatyana Perez really helped us out with some clutch three's, and it was good for our confidence to see the ball going through the hoop again, which will hopefully give us some momentum heading into Tuesday's game against Saint Louis."

Perez was 4-of-6 from three-point range and 6-of-10 from the field on the day, and added four assists and three steals in 39 minutes of play. Ebony Parker and Rebecca Lescay each added nine points, while Kendrian Elliott came in off the bench and had 14 rebounds, 13 on the defensive end.

"Taty was solid," Mossman said. "She helped run the offense, made great cuts and guarded well. All of our guards were terrific in guarding today. Our kids had to fight and I'm proud of our effort today."

The game was tied eight times and there were 15 lead changes in the contest. With just 30-seconds remaining and Tulsa trailing 61-60, Lescay got a steal and a fast-break layup to give TU the lead, 62-61, with 27-seconds left on the game clock. A missed shot by the Coyotes and a Shug Dickson rebound gave the Golden Hurricane the ball back with 9.9 seconds to play. Wakefield hit two free throws to make the score 64-61 with 8.8 seconds remaining, and South Dakota was unable to make a basket in the final eight seconds.

Tulsa shot 41-percent from the field, 50-percent from three-point range and 60-percent (6-of-10) from the free throw line, while South Dakota was 37-percent from the field, 28-percent from behind the arc and 68-percent (11-of-16) from the charity stripe.

Tulsa had a 6-0 lead in blocks, while both teams had 11 assists and seven steals. South Dakota had a 39-36 lead in rebounds.

Perez had five points and Elliott had five boards as the Coyotes had a 13-12 lead at the end of the first frame.

TU took its first lead, 16-15, at the 8:41 mark of the second quarter, and then after trading three-point baskets, had a 19-18 advantage. The Golden Hurricane climbed to a nine-point lead (32-23) at the 3:10 mark of the second period, but SD battled back for a 34-33 advantage with just 21-seconds remaining. A three-point basket by Gaulden at the buzzer gave Tulsa a 36-34 advantage at the break.

Tulsa shot an impressive 75-percent in the second quarter from the field, including 80-percent (4-of-5) from behind the arc, after a dismal 26-percent shooting percentage in the first 10 minutes.

There were six ties and two lead changes in the third frame, but Tulsa came out on top, 53-50.

The Coyotes started the final frame with a 5-0 run to take a 55-53 lead at the 8:50 mark, forcing a Tulsa timeout. A long three-pointer by Parker and TU regained the advantage, 56-55, but nearly every time the two teams went down the court there was a lead change.

Tulsa's bench outscored South Dakota's 25-11, and TU had an 11-8 lead in second chance points.

Madison McKeever had 15 points and Ciara Duffy added 14 and a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Coyotes.

Tulsa will return to action on Tuesday, December 19 at Saint Louis. Game time is set for 5:00 pm in St. Louis, Mo.