Photo by: Bill Powell
Tulsa Women Fall to SWOSU 76-73
10/30/2019 8:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Box Score in PDF
TULSA, Okla. –– Kendrian Elliott tallied a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Tulsa Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough as 2019 NCAA Division II national runners-up handed Tulsa a 76-73 exhibition loss at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
"This was good for us," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "This is better than coming out and being a team by 30 or 40 because you don't learn anything in those games about yourself. I thought Southwestern Oklahoma State came out and battled us, played harder than us and they got 16 points off of second-chance points and we got three, which was a huge difference. Hopefully that sends a message to our team that when you are the underdog you have to play harder than the other team."
"Kendrian was unbelievable," Mossman said. "They didn't really have a matchup for her inside, but I thought she took advantage of that mismatch and our team did a good job of getting her touches so she could take advantage of that."
SWOSU didn't lead until Bethany Franks sank a 3-pointer to make the score 73-71 with 0:39 remaining in the contest. Tulsa led by as many as 13 points, but succumbed to the Bulldogs in the final stanza.
Lauren Ramey added 2 free throws to give the Bulldogs a 75-71 lead with 0:11 left on the game clock, and Tulsa managed just two free throws in the final seconds.
The Bulldogs made 11-of-36 3-pointers, including 7 treys in the second half, and scored 26 points off of Tulsa turnovers. SWOSU also got 32 points off the bench and had a 16-to-3 edge in second chance points, while Tulsa had a 42-to-22 margin for points in the paint and a 50-35 rebounding edge.
In addition to Elliott's double-double, fellow senior Alexis Gaulden added 13 points and 8 rebounds for the Hurricane. Tyra Aska and Makyra Tramble led the visitors with 19 and 16 points, respectively.
Leading by 3 points at halftime, Tulsa stretched its lead to 13 points on a Rebecca Lescay jumper that made the score 52-39 at the 6:08 mark of the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs in the first 4 minutes of the second half by an 11-4 count.
SWOSU jumped back into the game on 4 3-pointers in the third quarter and ended the period trailing the Hurricane by just 4 points, 61-57.
Alexis Gaulden pushed the Tulsa lead back to 8 points on a 3-pointers with 6:25 left in the contest, but the scrappy Bulldogs fought back to within
Tulsa jumped out to a 9-4 lead within the first 4 minutes of the game, before SWOSU scored the next 5 points to knot the score at 9. The Hurricane closed out the half scoring 10 points and taking a 19-16 lead after the first period.
The second quarter began with a Maddie Bittle jumper that put Tulsa ahead 21-16. Tulsa kept the lead until 0:21 left in the first half when the Bulldogs tied the game for the third time at 38-38. Tulsa's Elin Hrafnkelsdottir knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 0:05 remaining to make the halftime score 41-38.
At intermission, Elliott led all players with 16 points and 7 rebounds as the Hurricane shot 54-percent from the field. SWOSU was held to 35-percent shooting from the field.
Tulsa opens the regular season next Tuesday, November 5, with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against Stephen F. Austin.
Players Mentioned
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