Tulsa vs. Tulane Preview - The American Championship First Round

Friday, March 6 ~ 11:00 am Central ~ Mohegan Sun Arena ~ Uncasville, Conn.

Game Notes: Tulsa

Radio: TU's games can be heard on 93.5 FM The Jet, KWTU 88.7 FM HD2 and free on the iHeart Radio App. Brandon Hart calls play-by-play.

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Rosters: Tulsa ~ Tulane

2019-20 Season Stats: Tulsa ~ Tulane

Tulsa Facebook: TulsaHurricane ~ TulsaWBasketball

Tulsa Twitter: TulsaHurricane ~ TUWBasketball

Tulsa Instagram: TulsaHurricanePics ~ TulsaWBB

The Coaches
Tulsa: Matilda Mossman (Western Kentucky, 1979), 9th Year
Career Record: 261-254 (17 years)
Record at Tulsa: 114-161 (9 years)

Tulane: Lisa Stockton (Wake Forest, 1986), 27^th Year
Career Record: 584-317 (30 years)
Record at Tulane: 521-290 (27 years)

Tulsa's Probable Starters
F          00        Kendrian Elliott, 6-2, Sr., Wichita, Kan., 12.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg
G         1          Destiny Johnson, 5-8, Fr., Sand Springs, Okla., 5.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg
F          4          Addison Richards, 6-2, Sr., Bixby, Okla., 7.9 ppg., 3.0 rpg
G         15        KK Rodriguez, 5-6, So., St. Louis, Mo., 3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg
G         21        Rebecca Lescay, 5-8, Jr., Plano, Texas, 7.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Tulane's Probable Starters
G         0          Arsula Clark, 5-9, Jr., Miami, Fla., 12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
G         12        Sierra Cheatham, 6-0, Jr., Houston, Texas, 6.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
G         14        Dynah Jones, 5-9, So., New Orleans, La., 5.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F          23        Krystal Freeman, 6-0, Jr., Pineville, La., 15.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg
F          42        Mia Heide, 6-3, So., Austin, Texas, 3.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg

In the Last Game

Tulsa had four players tie or set personal career-bests as the Golden Hurricane captured a 71-64 win over Houston in the final regular season game of the season
Destiny Johnson had a career-high 23 points, including her first career three-point basket, and tied her career-bests of four rebounds and three steals, Elin Hrafnkelsdottir had a career-high nine points and tied her personal-best of four rebounds, Rebecca Lescay totaled a team-best and career-high seven assists, and Kendrian Elliott tied her career-best of four steals. Elliott added 11 points, while KK Rodriguez added seven, and Addison Richards, Lescay and Morgan Brady all had six.
TU scored 33 points in the final frame, nearly the total from the first three combined (38), which was seven more than Houston, which was the difference in the game.
Tulsa had a 44-30 advantage in points in the paint, a 41-30 lead in points off the bench and a 14-0 advantage in fast break points.

Facing Tulane

Tulane is 13-16 on the season, including an 8-9 mark in league play
Tulsa and Tulane met twice in the regular season, with the Green Wave earning a 64-62 overtime win at home and a 50-46 victory in Tulsa for a 22-9 lead in the all-time series
Krystal Freeman and Arsula Clark are both averaging double-digit points for the Green Wave with 15.1 and 12.1 points per game, respectively
Freeman also has a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game and 50 steals, Clark has 76 assists, and Mia Heide has 55 blocks

In the Nation

Tulsa ranks...
- 57 in steals (270)
- 73 in steals per game (9.3)
- 101 in turnovers forced (17.41)
- 136 in assists (380)
- 157 in blocked shots (94)
- 160 in assists per game (13.1)
Kendrian Elliott ranks...
- 74 in rebounds (246)
- 77 in blocked shots (45)
- 92 in blocked shots per game (1.55)
- 96 in rebounds per game (8.5)
Rebecca Lescay ranks...
- 143 in steals (53)
- 174 in steals per game (1.83)
NOTE: Above NCAA Rankings include games through 3/2/20.

An Accurate Shot

Kendrian Elliott ranks eighth (.489 = 331-677) among the school's-best field goal shooters
Maddie Bittle ranks ninth (.822 = 37-45) in the program for free throw percentage

Double-Doubles, Rebounds and Blocks

Kendrian Elliott has recorded 14 double-doubles in her career to rank third in school history
She has also earned her way onto the Tulsa Single-Season Leaders list as she ranks ninth in double-doubles with eight this year
Elliott has 694 career rebounds, ranking fifth in school history
Elliott has 94 career blocks, ranking sixth in school history

Knocking Down Three's and Getting Assists

Alexis Gaulden has knocked down 164 three-pointers in her career, which ranks in fourth place on the school's all-time list
Gaulden needs two more to tie Megan Moody (2002-06) who has 166 three's
Gaulden also ranks among the schools' top 10 in assists with 321 for seventh place

Seniors Stepping Up

Kendrian Elliott and Addison Richards have really stepped up their game for their senior seasons
Elliott entered the season averaging 6.8 points per game in her first three seasons combined, but this year is netting 12.9 points per game
Elliott's 373 points this season is the most in a single season in her career by 120 points
Richards entered the season averaging 1.6 points per game in her first three seasons combined, but this year is netting 7.9 points per game
Richards' 229 points this season is nearly double her previous three years combined (230)

Destiny Johnson is Hitting her Stride Since February

Destiny Johnson is hitting her stride in the last two months of the season
She averaged 2.1 points per game leading up to the Memphis game (2-1-20), and is averaging 10.3 ppg since February
Johnson tallied eight points against both Memphis and Cincinnati, 10 points against Wichita State, 15 points against UCF, 16 points against SMU and 23 points against Houston. She had two points at Temple and one point at ECU.
Johnson also had one steal in the first three months of the season, and had 12 since February began; and similarly had 11 of her 12 assists since February began

1,000 Point Watch and School History Ranking

Alexis Gaulden currently has 974 points, needing just 26 more points to reach the 1,000-point mark, and ranks 12th in school history in total points
Elliott currently has 883 points and ranks 16th in school history in total points.
There have only been 11 1,000+ point scorers in school history (see page 71-72 in the media guide for more details)

Overtime

Tulsa has played in two overtime games this season - at home against Temple (1-4-20) and at Tulane (1-8-20)
This marks the first time in school history that TU has played in back-to-back overtime games
TU has only played in two or more overtime games in a season six times, including twice in 2010-11, 2007-08, 2003-04, 2002-03 and 1997-98, while the Golden Hurricane had three overtime games during the 1999-2000 season
Tulsa's record in overtime games is 15-13
For more information on TU in overtime, see page 91 of the media guide

Record-Setting Game

Kendrian Elliott registered 38 points against Arkansas State (11-9-19), which tied the school record for points in a game set by Jillian Robbins against Nevada on February 19, 2005.
Elliott's 16 field goals made in the game was a school record, topping Robbins and Ashley Clark who both had 14 field goals made in a game

Back-to-Back-to-Back

Desiree Lewis and Kendrian Elliott have both had back-to-back-to-back double-doubles in their careers, making them the fifth and sixth player in school history to reach this milestone
Lewis is just the third to do it in her freshman year, while Elliott achieved this as a senior
Elliott had back-to-back-to-back double-doubles to start the 2019-20 season against Stephen F. Austin (13p, 12r), Arkansas State (38p, 12r) and Oklahoma State (16p, 10r)
Desiree Lewis hit back-to-back-to-back double-doubles against Wichita State (12p, 10r), Memphis (10p, 12r) and ECU (16p, 13r) in the 2018-19 season
This feat has been accomplished just 16 times in school history

Mossman Has 261 Career Wins

Matilda Mossman has collected 260 career victories
She has 67 wins at Arkansas, 80 wins at Kansas State and 114 wins at TU
Mossman has the most wins by a TU women's basketball coach
Mossman earned her 100th career win at TU in a 46-39 win over Memphis on January 9, 2019

Thirteen 2019 Postseason Teams Highlight 2019-20 Schedule

TU will take on 13 postseason teams from the 2018-19 season, including NCAA Tournament teams Abilene Christian, Little Rock, Marquette, UCF and UConn, and WNIT teams Arkansas, Cincinnati, Houston, Loyola Marymount, Stephen F. Austin, Stetson, USF and Western Kentucky.
Additionally, 23 teams posted double-digit wins last season, including nine teams with 20-or-more victories.

Freshmen Made Marks Last Year

Maddie Bittle shot 82.4-percent from the free throw line, making her the second-best freshman free throw shooter in school history (tying Morgan Brady)
Desiree Lewis played in 31 games, ranking third, had 163 rebounds, ranking fourth, and shot a .450 field goal percentage, ranking fifth, among the programs' freshmen

Tulsa Picked 10th in The American Preseason Coaches' Poll

In the American Athletic Conference coaches' poll, Tulsa was picked to finish 10th by the league's coaches
A year ago, TU ended the year ranked seventh in the league standings, a five-place jump from the predicted 12th-place finish
The 2019-20 predicted order of finish is UConn, USF, UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Temple, Tulane, Memphis, Wichita State, Tulsa, ECU and SMU

Tulsa in The American Championship

Tulsa has a 4-5 mark in The American Championship
TU earned wins in the first round in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
The Golden Hurricane lost matches in the quarterfinals in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019

The American Athletic Conference Championship

The American Athletic Conference and Mohegan Sun Arena have agreed to a multi-year agreement for Mohegan Sun to host the Conference's Women's Basketball Championship through 2020
The 2020 championship will mark the seventh consecutive year the tournament has been played at the Uncasville, Conn. arena

Tulsa in Postseason

Tulsa has made five postseason appearances
TU earned WNIT bids in 2004, 2005 and 2015
The Hurricane played in the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2013
Tulsa lost in the first round in 2004 (Memphis), 2005 (Texas A&M) and 2013 (Stanford), but went 1-1 (W, North Carolina State; L, DePaul) in 2006 and 2015 (W, Missouri State; L, Eastern Michigan)
The Hurricane has a 2-5 overall mark in postseason play

A Hurricane in Tulsa?

The Origination of The University of Tulsa nickname - Golden Hurricane - was created in 1922. A new football coach, Howard Archer came to town and inherited a slew of nicknames dating back to 1895. In the past, Tulsa had been named "Kendallites," "Presbyterians," "Tigers," "Orange and Black," "Tulsans," and of course, "Yellow Jackets." The team started working out in the fall with a new nickname "Yellow Jackets" which was apparently due to the fact that the team was wearing new black and yellow uniforms. The team opened the season and it was apparent that Tulsa was going to have a great year, and trying to seize some publicity for his team, Archer wanted to find a new nickname quickly. After a remark was made in practice one day about "roaring through opponents," and because of their new jersey colors, he thought of "Golden Tornadoes." But a check showed that Georgia Tech already had chosen that tag in 1917. From the tornado, he evolved meteorologically to the hurricane. A few days before the team left for a game against Texas A&M, Archer asked the squad to vote on the name, and thus "Golden Hurricane" was born.

Tulsa vs. Tulane Preview - The American Championship First Round

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maddie Bittle

Morgan Brady

Ashley Clark

Kendrian Elliott

Alexis Gaulden

Elin Hrafnkelsdottir

Destiny Johnson

Rebecca Lescay

Desiree Lewis

Addison Richards

KK Rodriguez

Tulsa vs. Tulane Preview - The American Championship First Round

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maddie Bittle

Morgan Brady

Ashley Clark

Kendrian Elliott

Alexis Gaulden

Elin Hrafnkelsdottir

Destiny Johnson

Rebecca Lescay

Desiree Lewis

Addison Richards

KK Rodriguez

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