Tulsa Holds on for 64-51 Win over Cincinnati

Saturday, January 6

Reynolds Center

2:00 pm

Tulsa

8-8, 2-1AAC

Cincinnati

9-7, 1-2AAC

Cincinnati

Tulsa

Tulsa Holds on for 64-51 Win over Cincinnati

1/6/2018 4:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

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Sophomore Alexis Gaulden scored a career-high 24 points as Tulsa posted a 64-51 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats Saturday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Gaulden surpassed her previous career-high of 23 points and also had a season-best eight rebounds to lead the Hurricane.

Freshman Morgan Brady also had a career-high with 14 points and senior Erika Wakefield added 13 to pace the Hurricane.

Tulsa evened its overall record to 8-8 and went 2-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while Cincinnati dropped to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in the league.

Tulsa's defense, holding the Bearcats to 31-percent from the field and 19-percent from the free throw line, and the home team's percentages from behind the arc and the free throw line proved to be the difference in the game. Although shooting just under 40-percent for the game, Tulsa knocked down 56-percent of its three-pointers (9-of-16) and 93-perent from the charity stripe (13-of-14), with all of those free throws coming in the second half.

"Lex was unbelievable today," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "It was her first start in a while, but she had good back-to-back games, and had been good in practice. I give credit to the starting group. They played really well together on both ends of the floor. They guarded well and played together offensively. I know we had three players in double figures, but it goes back to the defense we played on Ana Owen, Shanice Johnson and Angel Rizor. They have some serious offensive weapons and Morgan Brady guarded Owens and made her work for everything."

Owens ended the game, converting just 2-of-17 field goals in 36 minutes.

The lead changed hands four times, all coming within the first three minutes of the game. After taking an 8-6 lead on a Gaulden three-pointer at the seven-minute mark of the first period, the Hurricane never relinquished the lead.

Tulsa began the fourth quarter with a 40-35 lead and extended the lead to 10 points in the first 5:01 of the final period, 53-43, on a Brady trey. The Bearcats got as close as five points, 53-48, on a Iimar'i Thomas layup with 4:20 to play. The Hurricane then reeled off an 11-3 run to close out the game, including converting 9-of-10 free throws in the final 90 minutes of the contest.

Tulsa outscored Cincinnati in the final stanza 24-16, as Wakefield scored nine, Gaulden had seven and Brady tallied six points as the trio totaled 22 of Tulsa's 24 fourth period points.

In the third quarter, Cincinnati scored on an Antoinette Miller basket with 0:04 left on the clock to give the visitors a 12-10 scoring edge for the quarter, but the Hurricane still held a 40-35 lead after three periods.

The Hurricane jumped out to a 15-6 lead as Gaulden scored eight of Tulsa's points in that span including a 3-pointer for that nine-point lead at the 4:56 mark. Tulsa ended the first quarter with a 20-13 lead, as Gaulden closed out the period with eight points to lead the Hurricane.

Tulsa shot 50-percent from the field and was 4-of-5 from behind the arc for 80 percent, while the Bearcats connected on just 33-percent of its shots overall and 25-percent from three-point range in the first quarter.

Despite cooling off from the field in the second quarter, converting just 4-of-15 for 26 percent, Tulsa took a seven-point lead into intermission at 30-23.

Tulsa jumped out to a 28-17 lead within the first five minutes of the second quarter as the Hurricane went on an 8-0 run after Cincinnati scored the first four points, cutting its deficit to three points at 20-17. Tulsa scored the next eight points to take its largest lead of the first half of 11 points with 5:47 remaining as Brady knocked down a three-pointer for a 28-17 Hurricane lead.

It wasn't until time expired that the Hurricane scored its next basket as Gaulden grabbed her own miss and put-back a two-pointer to give Tulsa the seven-point halftime lead.

Gaulden led all first-half scorers with 15 of Tulsa's 30 points, as she connected on 6-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range.

Tulsa goes on the road for a Wednesday game at ECU before returning home next Saturday, Jan. 13, for a 12 p.m. tipoff against Memphis.