Wakefield and Pongonis Lead Tulsa to 67-64 Win Over New Mexico

Friday, November 25

Albuquerque, N.M.

8:00 pm

Tulsa

2-3

New Mexico

2-2

Tulsa

New Mexico

Wakefield and Pongonis Lead Tulsa to 67-64 Win Over New Mexico

11/25/2016 10:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Stephanie Hall

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Erika Wakefield and Jessica Pongonis scored in double figures to lead Tulsa to a 67-64 win over New Mexico on Friday evening in the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament at WisePies Arena in Albuquerque, N.M. TU moved to 2-3 on the season, while UNM fell to 2-2 overall.

"I was really proud of the way our point guards managed the game in the first half, which gave us the lead at halftime," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "They managed each possession. Things got out of hand in the third quarter with sending them to the line, but in the end we got big stops when we needed them and big shots when we needed them."

Wakefield had a team-high 17 points, seven assists and three steals, while Pongonis added a career-high 10 points. Alexis Gaulden added eight points, Crystal Polk posted seven, and Liesl Spoerl and Shug Dickson both had six points. Polk pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

The biggest stat differential in the contest was the free throw shooting, as New Mexico was 19-of-32 from the line for 59-percent, and Tulsa was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe for 75-percent.

UNM also had a 57-32 advantage in rebounds and a 5-1 lead in blocks, while TU had a 14-10 advantage in assists and a 6-0 lead in steals.

Tulsa shot 40-percent from the field and 56-percent from three-point range, compared to New Mexico's 30-percent from the field and 19-percent from behind the arc.

Tulsa jumped out to an 11-2 lead with 4:58 on the clock in the first quarter. The Golden Hurricane hit all three of their first three-point attempts, and was 3-of-8 from the field, while the Lobos were just 1-of-9 to start the game. UNM battled back with a 13-5 run to close out the quarter trailing TU, 16-15.

Crystal Polk hit a free throw to start the second quarter and then New Mexico's Cherise Beynon hit a jumper to tie the contest at 17-17, but it would be the only points the Lobos would score in the second frame.

Tulsa outscored UNM, 13-2, in the second period to take a 29-17 advantage into the break. New Mexico was just 1-of-14 in the second quarter for just 16-percent in the contest, while the Golden Hurricane was shooting 29.4-percent heading into halftime.

TU climbed to a 14-point lead, 40-26, with 5:20 on the clock in the third quarter, but UNM battled to outscore Tulsa, 23-20, in the third frame. The Hurricane held on to a nine-point lead, 49-40, to start the fourth quarter.

New Mexico fought back and took their first lead of the game, 58-57, with 4:31 left in the contest, and outscored Tulsa 24-18 in the final frame, but the Golden Hurricane held on for the three-point win. The two teams traded leads six times in the final quarter, but the Lobos never led by more than one point.

UNM was led by Richelle van der Keijl with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Cherise Beynon added 15 points and seven assists, and Jaisa Nunn scored 10 points.

Tulsa will return to action on Saturday, November 26 against BYU in the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament championship game. Game time is set for 1:00 pm Central.