 (1).png)
Saturday, February 27
Reynolds Center
1:00 pm
Tulsa
vs
Cincinnati
Tulsa vs. Cincinnati Preview
2/25/2021 11:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Saturday, February 27 ~ 1:00 pm Central ~ Donald W. Reynolds Center ~ Tulsa, Okla.
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.
Live Audio: Listen Here
Live Video: The Tulsa-Cincinnati game will be broadcast on ESPN+. TU fans can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch Golden Hurricane basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball this year. ESPN+ is offered at $5.99/month or $49.99/year. To subscribe, go to plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed.
Catch the Pregame Show: Watch the Tulsa pregame show on Tulsa Women's Basketball Facebook It features the National Anthem, pom performance, spirit squad introduction, team runout, hype video, intro video and starting lineups. TU will also recognize Tulsa senior Rebecca Lescay prior to the game.
Live Stats: Click Here
Rosters: Tulsa ~ Cincinnati
2020-21 Season Stats: Tulsa ~ Cincinnati
Tulsa Facebook: TulsaHurricane ~ TulsaWBasketball
Tulsa Twitter: TulsaHurricane ~ TUWBasketball
Tulsa Instagram: TulsaHurricaneAthletics ~ TulsaWBB
The Coaches
Tulsa: Matilda Mossman (Western Kentucky, 1979), 10th Year
Career Record: 266-265 (18 years)
Record at Tulsa: 119-172 (10 years)
Cincinnati: Michelle Clark-Heard (Western Kentucky, 1990), 3rd Year
Record: 228-115 (11 years)
Record at Cincinnati: 50-35 (3 years)
Tulsa's Probable Starters
G 10 Maya Mayberry, 5-8, Jr., Tulsa, Okla., 13.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
G 12 Wyvette Mayberry, 5-7, Fr., Tulsa, Okla., 11.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F 13 Jessika Evans, 6-0, Fr., Norman, Okla., 5.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg
G 21 Rebecca Lescay, 5-8, Sr., Plano, Texas, 7.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg
F 32 Desiree Lewis, 5-10, Jr., Converse, Texas, 5.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Cincinnati's Probable Starters
G 1 Caitlyn Wilson, 5-11, So., Cordova, Tenn., 8.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg
F 15 Arame Niang, 6-3, Sr., Rufisque, Senegal, 6.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg
G 20 Jillian Hayes, 6-1, Fr., Loveland, Ohio, 7.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
G 21 Milan Schimmel, 5-8, Jr., Mission, Ore., 4.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F 23 Iimar'i Thomas, 5-10, Sr., Oakland, Calif., 23.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Facing Cincinnati
- This is the 13th time that Tulsa and Cincinnati has met
- The series is tied 6-6, as the Hurricane captured a 62-57 win earlier this year
- Cincinnati has a 5-15 overall record, including a 4-12 mark in American Athletic Conference play.
- The Bearcats picked up a 71-61 win over ECU in their last contest, snapping a three-game losing streak.
- Iimar'i Thomas has team-bests of 23.4 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 71 assists, while also recording 24 steals and 19 blocks
In the Last Game
- Maya Mayberry and Wyvette Mayberry both scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as Tulsa came up short, 55-53, at UCF
- Maya Mayberry had a team-best 17 points, while Wyvette Mayberry added 15, Maddie Bittle had five, and Jessika Evans, Desiree Lewis, Rebecca Lescay and Kayla Moutry all added four points. Wyvette Mayberry had six rebounds and three assists, while Evans has five boards, and Lewis and Maya Mayberry both had two steals.
- UCF owned a 36-24 lead in rebounds, a 15-12 advantage in assists and an 8-6 edge in steals, while both teams had two blocks.
- Both teams led by a team-best five points. There were eight tied scores and eight lead changes in the 40 minutes.
- Tulsa shot a solid 46.8-percent from the field, 50-percent from behind the arc and 66.7-percent from the free throw line, while the Knights were 38.2-percent from the field, 30-percent from three-point range and 70-percent from the line.
Rebecca Lescay Named The American Player of the Week
- Rebecca Lescay was named as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on February 1, 2021.
- This was just TU's second Player of the Week honoree since joining the league in 2014. Ashley Clark received the honor on Feb. 2, 2015.
Wyvette Mayberry Named The American Freshman of the Week Twice
- Wyvette Mayberry was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week on December 14 and January 11
- This was TU's first Freshman of the Week honor since the 2016-17 season when Kendrian Elliott, Alexis Gaulden and Shug Dickson each earned the honor twice.
In the Nation
- Tulsa ranks...
- 31 in steals per game (10.2)
- 35 in turnover margin (4.19)
- 40 in turnovers per game (13.4)
- 63 in fewest turnovers (214)
- 66 in steals (163)
- 88 in turnovers forced (17.56)
- 92 in fewest fouls (255)
- Rebecca Lescay ranks...
- 126 in steals per game (2.06)
- 147 in steals (33)
- Maya Mayberry ranks...
- 52 in 3-point FG percentage (39.6)
- 92 in 3-point FGs per game (2.25)
- 121 in 3-point FGs made (36)
- Wyvette Mayberry ranks...
- 181 in steals per game (1.87)
- NOTE: Above NCAA Rankings include games through 2/20/21.
An Accurate Shot
- Maya Mayberry ranks second (.396 = 36-91) in program history for three-point field goal percentage.
- Maddie Bittle ranks ninth (.823 = 51-62) in program history for free throw percentage
She's Stealing!
- Rebecca Lescay ranks fifth on Tulsa's all-time steals list with 174 in her career
A College Graduate
- Tulsa senior Rebecca Lescay earned her bachelor's degree in marketing in 2020 and is now working towards her master's degree in business analytics
Maddie Bittle
- According to a recent NCAA Division I women's basketball survey, Maddie Bittle is just one of 18 Native Americans playing collegiate basketball at the D1 level. Bittle is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
The Mayberry Connection
- Sisters Maya and Wyvette Mayberry are both in their first seasons at Tulsa, and are coached by their older sister, Taleya, who also played at Tulsa (2009-13) and joined the coaching ranks prior to the 2018-19 campaign. Maya is a junior who transferred from Oral Roberts, while Wyvette is a freshman from local Booker T. Washington High School.
- The sisters are Tulsa's top two scorers as Maya averages a team-high 13.4 points and Wyvette is scoring at an 11.3 clip.
- The pair is scoring 44.3 percent (385 of 869) of Tulsa's total points.
- Wyvette leads Tulsa in assists (45) and is second in steals (28)
Tulsa's Turnover-Takeaway Story
- Tulsa has been among the nation's leaders for turnover margin this season with a +4.2 margin after 16 games.
- The Hurricane has forced 17.6 turnovers per game (281), while suffering only 13.4 turnovers (214) of their own.
- Tulsa has forced four opponents into 20+ turnovers, including UCF (23), Temple (23), Memphis (26) and Memphis (22)
- Tulsa's season-high of 22 turnovers came against ECU (1-20-21)
- The Hurricane averages 10.2 steals per game (163) while the opposition has averaged just 6.4 takeaways (103) against Tulsa.
Mossman Has 266 Career Wins
- Matilda Mossman has collected 266 career victories
- She had 67 wins at Arkansas and 80 wins at Kansas State, and currently has 119 wins at TU
- Mossman has the most wins by a TU women's basketball coach
On the Roster
- TU returns eight letterwinners from last season, as well as junior-transfer Madi Washington who had to sit out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. Tulsa added five newcomers to the roster, including two junior-transfers and three true freshmen.
- TU has one senior, Rebecca Lescay, eight juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen on the roster
Destiny Johnson Hit her Stride in February Last Season
- Destiny Johnson hit her stride in the last two months of the 2019-20
- She averaged 2.1 points per game leading up to the Memphis game (2-1-20), and then averaged 10.3 ppg in February and March
- Johnson tallied eight points against both Memphis and Cincinnati, 10 points against both Wichita State and Tulane, 15 points against UCF, 16 points against SMU, and 23 points against Houston.
- Johnson also had one steal in the first three months of the season, and had 12 in the final nine games; and similarly had 12 of her 13 assists in the final nine games of the year.
Back-to-Back-to-Back
- Desiree Lewis had back-to-back-to-back double-doubles during the 2018-19 season, making her the fifth player in school history to reach this milestone
- Lewis is just the third to accomplish this as a freshman
- Lewis hit back-to-back-to-back double-doubles against Wichita State (12p, 10r), Memphis (10p, 12r) and ECU (16p, 13r)
- This feat has been accomplished just 16 times in school history, including Kendrian Elliott who reached this milestone during the 2019-20 campaign
Tulsa Picked 11th in The American Preseason Coaches' Poll
- In the American Athletic Conference coaches' poll, Tulsa was picked to finish 11th by the league's coaches
- The 2020-21 predicted order of finish is USF, UCF, Tulane, Cincinnati, Temple, Wichita State, Houston, Memphis, ECU, SMU and Tulsa
Tulsa in The American Championship
- Tulsa has a 4-6 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, and lost in the first round in 2020
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.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballWBB | UAB Game Highlights
Monday, February 23
WBB | Angie Nelp Tulane Preview
Monday, February 23
WBB | Angie Nelp 2-16-26 Preview
Monday, February 16
WBB | Angie Nelp 2-9 Preview
Monday, February 09