Tulsa Falls to Arkansas State, 73-60

Sunday, December 9

Jonesboro, Ark.

2:00 pm

Tulsa

5-5

Arkansas State

4-4

Tulsa

Arkansas State

Tulsa Falls to Arkansas State, 73-60

12/9/2018 4:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Final Stats in PDF
Final Stats in HTML
Season Stats in PDF

Morgan Brady, Alexis Gaulden and Crystal Polk all scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as Tulsa dropped a 73-60 decision to Arkansas State on Sunday afternoon at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Ark. TU fell to 5-5 on the season, while ASU moved to 4-4 overall.

"Crystal went out of the game and had to get stitches, so the fact that we didn't have her was huge, and then Alexis got her fifth foul on a technical, so our best players played a half a game," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "We built up a great lead when they were in the game, but when they weren't the ASU comeback started. We needed scoring, and without Crystal inside, we need an answer for her when she comes out of the game. They kept attacking, and officials kept calling fouls, so there isn't much defense we can play when they are at the free throw line. I thought our kids competed and played hard even through the things we couldn't control."

Brady had a team-leading 18 points, all of which came from behind the arc with six three-pointers, while Gaulden added 17. Polk tallied her sixth career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes of play. Polk missed 14:29 off the clock as she had to get stitches after taking an elbow to the face, but she was able to return to the court late in the fourth quarter.

Tulsa was called for 31 fouls in the contest, compared to Arkansas State's 13, sending ASU to the free throw line 36 times for 24 points, while TU shot just 3-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Tulsa had a 48-43 lead in rebounds, a 15-11 advantage in assists and a 5-2 edge in blocks, while Arkansas State had a 15-12 lead in steals.

Tulsa jumped out to a 7-0 lead in just the first 72-seconds ticked off the clock, but a pair of free throws and a three-pointer by the Red Wolves made the score 7-5 at the 6:52 mark. Neither team scored until Gaulden hit a three-pointer with 4:35 remaining in the quarter, and from there on TU outscored ASU, 16-9, for a 26-14 lead at the end of the frame.

TU shot a solid 52-percent in the first 10 minutes, including 75-percent from three-point range, but went cold from behind the arc missing all five attempts in the second quarter and shooting just 33-percent from the field. The Red Wolves outscored the Hurricane, 15-10, in the second 10-minute period to pull within seven, 36-29, at halftime.

Arkansas State had a 14-11 scoring advantage over Tulsa in the third quarter to pull to within four, 47-43, but the Red Wolves evened the score at the 9:32 mark of the final quarter, 47-47, for the first tie of the game. The score was tied again at 51-all and 53-all, but a pair of free throws by Akasha Westbrook gave ASU their first lead of the game at the 6:59 mark, a lead they would hold onto for the remainder of the contest.

The Red Wolves pulled ahead to a 12-point lead, 67-55, but Polk hit a jumper in the paint for a 10-point deficit for TU with 1:22 to play. Brady hit TU's last points, a three-pointer, for the final 73-60 score.

ASU was led by three players in double-figures, including 15 points by Westbrook, 14 by Peyton Martin and 10 by Morgan Wallace.

Tulsa will return to action on Monday, December 17 against Little Rock. Game time is set for 7:00 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.