Tulsa Women's Basketball to Host Hawaii This Saturday
1/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2003
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The Tulsa Golden Hurricane women's basketball team will put its perfect 4-0 Western Athletic Conference home mark on the line this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. when it hosts Hawaii at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Saturday's game is National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) at TU. The event is an annual celebration of the advancement and achievement of girls and women in and through participation in sports. Student athletes from all of TU's female sports team will be available to sign autographs and the event will also feature the unveiling of the inaugural "TU Girls and Women's in Sports Role Model Award" at halftime.
Tulsa (11-8, 6-2 WAC) and the Rainbow Wahine entered the week in a second place tie with SMU, but both Hawaii and the Mustangs suffered defeats this past Thursday. The Golden Hurricane, which is currently alone in second place in the WAC standings, has an overall record of 6-3 at home this season. TU has won four straight games on its home floor and a total of five out of its last six contests with the only defeat coming at the hands of No. 1 Duke. Five of TU's eight defeats this year have been to squads ranked in the top-25. TU is averaging 66.8 points and 41.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 40-percent from the field, 33-percent from behind the three-point line and 71-percent from the free-throw line.
Hawaii (11-6, 5-3 WAC) will play just its fourth road game this season when its faces off against Tulsa. The Rainbow Wahine played its entire non-conference schedule on its home floor and registered an 11-3 overall mark and has a 5-0 record in WAC games at home. However, UH is still looking for its first road win of any kind this season and enters its game against TU with an 0-3 road mark.
The Rainbow Wahine are averaging 52.6 points on the road compared to 60.6 in all games. For the season, UH is averaging 60.6 points and 38.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 40-percent from the field, 28-percent from behind the three-point line and 71-percent from the foul line. Jade Abele and Christen Roper are Hawaii's top scorers with 11.4 points per game apiece and Roper is also the top rebounder with 8.0 boards per contest. Vince Goo is in his 16th season as head coach and has a record of 321-138 at the school.
Saturday's contest marks the 10th overall meeting between Tulsa and Hawaii. The Rainbow Wahine leads the all-time series, 8-1.
Saturday's game will be televised live on Cox Communications Channel-3 in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Mark Neely will describe the play-by-play, while Rod Thompson provides color analysis. The contest will also be broadcast live on KRSC 91.3 FM with Don King calling the action.
