Tulsa Captures 64-61 Win Over Temple in Road Contest

Wednesday, February 27

Philadelphia, Pa.

6:00 pm

Tulsa

12-15, 6-8

Temple

9-18, 5-9

Tulsa

Temple

Tulsa Captures 64-61 Win Over Temple in Road Contest

2/27/2019 8:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

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

Crystal Polk, Rebecca Lescay and Alexis Gaulden all scored in double figures to lead Tulsa to a 64-61 win over Temple on Wednesday night at McGonigle Hall in Philadelphia, Pa. The Golden Hurricane moved to 12-15 on the season and 6-8 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Owls fell to 9-18 overall and 5-9 in the league.

"It is huge to win a road game, win against a team you are tied with in the conference, and win for the first time here since joining the conference, so there is a lot to be excited about," Head Coach Matidla Mossman said.

Polk had a team-leading 16 points, followed by Lescay with 13 and Gaulden who had 12, 11 of which she scored in the first quarter. Polk finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards, and Kendrian Elliott added six rebounds. Lescay tallied a team-high five steals and four assists.

TU only used three players off the bench in the contest, which combined for 16 points and 16 rebounds.

"Those three were tremendous – Jasmine Butler, Kendrian Elliott and KK Rodriguez. Kudos to our three kids off the bench, and to Morgan Brady in leading our team when Alexis was out in foul trouble. We had a lot of kids step up today," Mossman added.

Tulsa had a 9-4 lead in steals and a 14-13 edge in assists, while Temple had a 43-41 lead in rebounds and a 3-1 advantage in blocks.

There were six lead changes and four tied scores in the first quarter, but Tulsa had a five-point lead (20-15) at the end the period. Gaulden had 11 points in the first frame to lead all scorers, and the team shot 44-percent from the field and 60-percent from behind the arc.

Polk picked up her second foul at the 1:58 mark of the first quarter, sending her to the bench, while Gaulden picked up two quick fouls in the first two minutes of the second quarter. Both players sat on the bench the entire second quarter.

Tulsa shot a solid 41-percent from the field and 66-percent from behind the arc in the first half, propelling them to an 11-point lead, 33-22, at halftime. The Hurricane, while only scoring 13 points in the second period, held the Owls to just seven points and a 21-percent shooting percentage in the frame.

Temple battled back, outscoring Tulsa, 18-8, to pull within one, 41-40, at the 2:05 mark, and then again at 44-43 with 43-seconds remaining, but Tulsa had a 46-43 advantage with one quarter to play. In the frame, Temple had a 21-13 scoring advantage, as the Hurricane shot just 29-percent comparted to the Owls' 42-percent in the period.

Temple tied the score at 52-all at the 6:56 mark of the fourth quarter, but Tulsa scored the next six points for a 58-52 advantage with 4:19 to play in the contest. The Owls cut their deficit once again, 58-56, with 1:49 to play, but Tulsa was able to hold on for the three-point victory.

The Owls were led by Marissa Mackins with 19 points, while Mia Davis added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Alliya Butts had 12 points.

Tulsa will return to action on Saturday, March 2 against ECU. Game time is set for 1:00 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Prior to the game, TU will honor seniors Jasmine Butler, Crystal Polk and Tyjae' Scales.