Tulsa Captures 88-86 Overtime Win Against Wichita State to Advance to The American Quarterfinals

Monday, March 7

Fort Worth, Texas

1:00 pm

Tulsa

16-9,5-8AAC

Wichita State

14-16,5-11AAC

OT 1

Wichita St.

Tulsa

Tulsa Captures 88-86 Overtime Win Against Wichita State to Advance to The American Quarterfinals

3/7/2022 4:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Final Stats in PDF
Season Stats in PDF

Rebecca Lescay had a team-best 21 points, while three others scored in double digits to lead Tulsa to an 88-86 overtime win over Wichita State on Monday afternoon in the American Athletic Conference Championship First Round at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The Golden Hurricane moved to 16-9 on the season, while the Shockers fell to 14-16 overall.

Tulsa will return to action on Tuesday against #1 seed UCF in The American Quarterfinals beginning at 12:00 pm Central.

"What a great game and a great way to open the American Athletic Conference tournament," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "I am extremely proud of our team and the fight they showed on the court today, as well as their preparation and focus leading up to today."

There were seven lead changes and three tied scores in the fourth quarter with the 40 minutes ending in a 78-78 tie. Neither team owned more than a one-basket advantage until TU claimed a five-point lead, 78-73, with 1:53 remaining. WSU scored the final five points of regulation to tie the contest and force overtime.

After WSU took a one-point lead to start the overtime period on a layup by Asia Strong, Wyvette Mayberry tallied two free throws and a Bittle had a three-pointer to put TU up by four, 83-79. The teams exchanged baskets and the Hurricane was up five, 88-83, before a three-pointer by Strong gave TU the final two-point victory.

There were 15 lead changes and seven tied scores in the tightly contested game.

Tulsa had a 29-19 lead in assists, a 16-8 advantage in steals and an 8-4 edge in blocks, while Wichita State had a 39-26 advantage in rebounds.

The Golden Hurricane scored 40 points in the paint, 32 points off turnovers and 16 points off fast breaks, while the Shockers had 46 points in the paint, just 12 points off turnovers and 13 points off fast breaks.

TU shot 46.6 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from behind the arc and 72.7 percent from the free throw line, while WSU shot 56.9 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the line.

The score was tied at 6-all at the 7:55 mark, but WSU had a 7-3 scoring advantage to take a 13-9 lead with 5:13 on the clock. The Shockers then climbed to a first-quarter best 12-point advantage, 26-14, at the end of the frame.

Tulsa battled back in the second quarter, outscoring Wichita State, 26-12, to take a two-point lead, 40-38, into halftime. All seven Golden Hurricane players that played in the frame scored at least one basket.

After shooting just 29.4 percent from the field and 11.0 percent from behind the arc in the first 10 minutes, TU hit 55.6 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range in the second quarter.

Mariah McCully tied the game at 40-40 on a layup with just 11 seconds ticked off the clock in the third quarter and the Shockers climbed to a five-point lead, 48-43, at the 6:54 mark. WSU had a five-point lead twice more in the frame, but it was just a one-point advantage, 61-60, for the Shockers with 10 minutes to play.

Strong led the Shockers with 20 points, while Mariah McCully had 17, Seraphine Bastin scored 16, and Carla Bremaud and Jane Asinde both had 10. Asinde pulled down 10 rebounds and had five steals in the contest.