Tulsa
SMU
SMU's Smothering Defense Stops TU, 67-53
2/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2001
Dallas - The SMU Mustangs smothering defense allowed Tulsa just four first-half field goals and held the Hurricane to just 17 for the game en route to a 67-53 victory at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.
With the loss, Tulsa falls to 8-18 overall this season and 4-10 in Western Athletic Conference play, while SMU improves to 15-11 on the season and 10-5 in league games.
TU was led by the junior tandem of Leela Farr and Carla Morrow. The duo combined for 23 points and 20 rebounds. Farr was just 3-of-13 from the field but a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Morrow added 10 points and pulled down a career- and game-high 16 rebounds. The 16 boards are the second-best single-game total in school history. Farr's sixth made free throw with 1:31 to play gave her the school mark for single-season free throws. She surpassed former Hurricane standout Lila Osceola's (1996-98, 1999-2000) record of 142 during the 1996-97 campaign.
SMU finished with four players in double figures including senior D-dra Rucker who led all scorers with 16 points. Freshman Jackee Brown added 11 points, while senior Katie Remke and sophomore Kenni Patton chipped in 10 points each. Remke also collected a team-high nine rebounds.
Tulsa and SMU traded the lead five times in the first nine minutes before the Mustangs took a 13-12 lead with 9:48 to go in the first half. After the Ponies jumped out to a four-point advantage, freshman Kim Chiconas pulled the Hurricane to within two points, 16-14, with two free throws at the 8:39 minute mark. But SMU turned up its defensive pressure and forced Tulsa into four turnovers and 11 missed shots. Meanwhile, the Mustangs turned the Golden Hurricane's miscues into an 18-1 run over the final 8:39 of the first half to take a 34-15 lead into the locker room at half-time. SMU forced Tulsa into a 4-of-30 shooting performance in the first half.
The Ponies maintained the pressure in the second half and Tulsa never came any closer than 14 points. SMU led by as many as 24 points in the final period before TU closed the gap to 14 points during the final minutes of the game.
