Fourth-Quarter Comeback Gives Tulsa a 70-60 Win Over UCF in Regular Season Finale

Wednesday, March 1

Reynolds Center

6:30 pm

Tulsa

17-12,7-9AAC

UCF

13-14,4-11AAC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
UCF	25	4	14	17	60
Tulsa	18	7	12	33	70

Fourth-Quarter Comeback Gives Tulsa a 70-60 Win Over UCF in Regular Season Finale

3/1/2023 8:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Tulsa outscored UCF in the fourth quarter, 33-17, to comeback and claim a 70-60 win over UCF on Wednesday night at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The Golden Hurricane moved to 17-12 on the season and concluded American Athletic Conference play with a 7-9 mark, while the Knights fell to 13-14 overall and 4-11 in the league.

After the game Tulsa honored super seniors Maddie Bittle and Maya Mayberry.

"Maddie and Maya give their everything every day to this team, this university and this community," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "I couldn't think of two better players to exemplify what our program is about, and I am so glad they they decided to come back for their fifth years and I'm so proud of what they've done."

"Maya was so laser focused," Nelp said. "She has the ability to score in bunches and when it happens on a night like tonight you can't be happier for her. One of the things Maddie did in the fourth quarter was she was able to get layups and finish those layups. She was aggressive and they both did a great job tonight."

Tulsa will return to action in the American Athletic Conference Championship on Monday, March 6 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The full conference bracket will be announced later tonight.

How it Happened
Maya Mayberry, Hadley Periman and Temira Poindexter all hit a three-pointer to begin the contest as TU shot 100 percent from behind the arc for a 9-7 lead at the 7:37 mark. The Knights then went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-9 edge with 5:55 to play in the frame and climbed to a seven-point lead, 25-18, at the end of the quarter. Tulsa hit five three-pointers in the first 10 minutes and was 6-of-15 from the field for 40 percent, while the Knights shot 60 percent.

The two teams combined to hit just 1-of-8 in the first 3:39 off the clock in the second quarter, but Tulsa began to chip away at their deficit and pulled to within four, 29-25, with 59 seconds remaining in the first half. Neither team scored the rest of the frame for the halftime score. UCF shot just 8.3 percent in the second quarter and TU hit 27.3 percent of their attempts as the two teams combined for just 11 points in the frame.

UCF hit back-to-back threes to start the third quarter and take a 10-point lead, 35-25, at the 6:55 mark. TU cut the difference to just four on three-pointers by Mayberry and Cam Mathews with 5:11 on the clock, but the Knights went back up by nine, 42-33, at the 2:32 mark. UCF owned a 43-37 lead with one quarter to play.

The Knights went back up by nine, 50-41, at the 8:06 mark, but Tulsa went on a 18-0 run to take a nine-point lead, 59-50, with 2:54 on the clock. Poindexter hit a pair of free throws and Mayberry scored a three-point basket to make it a four-point game with 7:15 to play. A three-pointer by Poindexter put Tulsa down by just one, 50-49, at the 5:32 mark and then she hit another three on a fast break to give Tulsa a 52-50 lead with 4:48 to play. Poindexter was then sent to the free throw line after UCF's head coach, Sytia Messer, was issued a technical foul and she went 1-of-2. Maddie Bittle scored on back-to-back layups, putting Tulsa up 57-50, with 3:27 to play in the contest and then Poindexter scored a layup for the nine-point advantage.

A jumper by Laila Jewett with 2:29 on the clock snapped a 5:37 scoring drought for the Knights. UCF outscored TU, 5-2, to make it a four-point game, 61-57, with 1:20 on the clock.

Mayberry hit her sixth three-pointer of the game to extend Tulsa's lead back up to seven with 57 seconds to play and then Bittle made it a nine-point game on a layup with 33 seconds on the clock. Mayberry gave Tulsa an 11-point advantage, the largest lead by either team in the game, with 20 seconds to play on a pair of made free throws. Mya Burns hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds left and Delanie Crawford scored a pair of free throws for the final 10-point victory for Tulsa.

Game Notes

This was the 25^th meeting between Tulsa and UCF … the series now stands at 16-9 in favor of UCF … Tulsa has won the last two games in the series.
Tulsa snapped a six-game losing streak and moved to 17-12 overall on the season … it was Tulsa's first win since February 1.
Tulsa has won 17 games for the second straight season.
All 8 Tulsa players who played tonight scored in the game.
Tulsa made at least 10 3-pointers for the 15^th time in 29 games this season … Tulsa finished the game with 12 3-pointers made.
Tulsa went on an 18-0 run to take a 59-50 lead in the 4^th quarter.
This was the seventh straight game that Tulsa was without three of its top seven scorers – Ahrray Young (8.6), Jessika Evans (6.8) and Katelyn Levings (6.0), all missing due to injury … in all, Tulsa missed 21.4 points between the three players … in all, Young has missed eight games, Evans has missed 18 games and Levings has missed 15 games this season.
It was the 11^th time this season that Tulsa trailed after the first quarter, but for just the first time in the last four games.
Tulsa trailed at halftime for the seventh straight game.
Maya Mayberry had her 15^th double-figure scoring game of the season and 47^th of her career.
Mayberry has now made at least four 3-pointers in 10 games this season … she made six treys in the game tonight.
Mayberry scored 20 points for the fourth time this season.
Hadley Periman had a career-high seven assists, bettering her previous high of three four times this year.
Temira Poindexter had her 25^th double-digit scoring game of the season and 43^rd of her career in 56 career games played.
Poindexter totaled 20 points for the 11^th time this season.
Maddie Bittle had her 17^th double-figure scoring game of the season and 44^th of her career.
33 points is the most scored for Tulsa in the fourth quarter this year.
Tulsa went 10-of-10 from the field, 4-of-4 from the three-point line and 0-of-10 from the free throw line in fourth quarter.