Four Tulsa Players Score in Double Figures in 76-63 Loss to Western Kentucky

Friday, November 29

Moraga, Calif.

2:00 pm

Tulsa

3-3,0-0AAC

Western Kentucky

-51,00 CUSA

Tulsa

Western Ky.

Four Tulsa Players Score in Double Figures in 76-63 Loss to Western Kentucky

11/29/2019 4:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score in PDF l Season Stats in PDF

Kendrian Elliott, Rebecca Lescay, Desiree Lewis and Addison Richards all scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as Tulsa dropped a 76-63 decision to Western Kentucky on Friday afternoon in the first game of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif. TU fell to 3-3 on the season, while WKU moved to 5-1 overall.

"Our kids never gave up," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "It was just that 10-point deficit in the second quarter where we went away from the things we were doing well and it took us a while to get back to doing those things. We allowed them too many points in the paint and we gave them too many points off turnovers. We had to sit three bigs because of foul trouble in the second quarter, first Kendrian, then Ella and then Emma, which was problematic. We won the second half, but we have to have four good quarters."

Elliott led the Golden Hurricane with 14 points, while Lescay added 12, and Lewis and Richards both had 10 points. Lewis also pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds, while Alexis Gaulden had four assists and two steals.

There were three tied scores and two lead changes in the first 5:49 off the clock, but when Meral Abdelgawad scored on a layup to put the Hilltoppers ahead, 11-9, at the 4:11 mark WKU never relinquished the lead.

At the end of the first quarter, Tulsa trailed Western Kentucky, 20-15. TU had six turnovers to WKU's four, and shot 40-percent to the Hilltoppers 64-percent in the frame.

Western Kentucky outscored the Golden Hurricane 26-16 in the second quarter for a 15-point lead at the break, 46-31. Gaulden had eight points at halftime, while Richards added seven.

Tulsa came out fired up in the third quarter, going on a 10-4 run to pull within nine, 50-41, at the 5:42 mark, but the Hilltoppers outscored TU, 12-4, to close out the frame with a 62-45 advantage.

TU won the fourth quarter, 18-14, but the Hurricane couldn't overcome the deficit for the final 13-point loss.

WKU was also led by four players in double figures, including 18 points by Raneem Elgedawy, Dee Givens and Whitney Creech with 15 points apiece, and Abdelgawad with 11. Elgedawy had a team-best 10 rebounds as well.

WKU had a 36-30 lead in rebounds, a 12-9 advantage in steals, an 11-10 edge in assists and a 3-2 lead in blocks. The Hilltoppers finished the game shooting 46-percent from the field, while the Golden Hurricane shot 39-percent.

Tulsa will play it's second game of the tournament against Marquette beginning at 2:00 pm Central tomorrow.