Tulsa Women Outpaced by Nationally Ranked Lady Vols

Saturday, December 21

West Palm Beach, Fla.

10:00 a.m.

Tulsa

6-6,0-0AAC

102

Tennessee

11-0,0-0SEC

Tulsa

Tennessee

102

Photo by: Ali Zamudio

Tulsa Women Outpaced by Nationally Ranked Lady Vols

12/21/2024 12:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Tulsa women's basketball team fell 102-61 to the No. 18/16 Tennessee Lady Volunteers Saturday on the final day of the West Palm Beach Classic at Palm Beach Atlantic University. The Golden Hurricane ends the 2024 nonconference schedule at 6-6 overall while the Lady Vols stay undefeated at 11-0 and snap TU's four-game win streak.

It was a competitive first quarter between the two teams as Tennessee led by only two at 22-20 after 10 minutes. Then, the Lady Vols blew the game open by scoring 41 points while holding Tulsa to just 11 in the second quarter, allowing Tennessee to comfortably lead for the remainder of the game.

Tennessee benefitted from 23 Tulsa turnovers, finishing with a 37-77 clip from the field (48.1%), 14-32 in threes (43.8%) and 14-26 at the free throw line (53.8%). Their stingy defense held Tulsa to 22-63 shooting (34.9%), 5-29 treys (17.2%) and 12-20 from the stripe (60%).

Senior Delanie Crawford led a trio of double-digit scorers for Tulsa with 17 points on the day, making a third of her baskets (6-18) that included three three-pointers. Joining her in scoring were sophomores Mady Cartwright with 12 points and Jade Clack off the bench with 11 points. Cartwright played physically in the paint, drawing nine Lady Vol fouls and converting on 6-10 free throws. She and Kristol Ayson led TU with three assists apiece.

Junior Hadley Periman recorded three blocks for a fourth time this season and led the Hurricane with 11 boards, five on offense and six on defense. Sophomore Elise Hill contributed four steals and finished with nine points.

The Lady Vols had five players score in double-figures and 13 score points during the game. Sara Puckett led the team with 17 points, matching Crawford's total. Zee Spearman paced Tennessee with nine rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST QUARTER . . .
Tennessee scored first with a pair of free throws and started the game with a full-court press. Elise Hill answered back by swishing a three-pointer from Kristol Ayson. Ayson added two points with a layup and Mady Cartwright drew a shooting foul on a made layup but missed the subsequent and-1 free throw, giving TU the early 7-4 lead.

Hill stole the ball twice early, assisting Mady Cartwright on a fast break layup and taking the ball to the basket herself to put TU up 15-11 at 5:17.

Hill and Jade Clack each took the ball to the net on layups while the Lady Vols netted a three-pointer, a layup and a pair of free throws to take a 20-19 lead at 1:27. Cartwright made a free throw right after to knot things up at 20 apiece.

The Vols added one more layup on a tip-in basket and benefitted from two missed free throws by Hadley Periman just before the end of the quarter. Tennessee led 22-20 after one.

IN THE SECOND QUARTER . . .
The Lady Vols went ahead 28-20 early in the second quarter off mid-range jumpers by Zee Spearman and Talaysia Cooper. A layup by Sara Puckett gave Tennessee a 10-point lead at 30-20 with the clock reading 7:12.

Tulsa finally scored at 6:39 when Mady Cartwright drew another shooting foul on a made bucket, but she missed the following free throw.

Tennessee continued to push a full-court defense and an up-tempo offense, pulling away 40-24 with 4:29 remaining in the half.

TU saw Cartwright and Kennedi Alexander each land a layup while Delanie Crawford scored five off a mid-range jump shot and a three-pointer. Lexie Fouth converted a pair of free throws before Tennessee got away with a last-second three-pointer, capping a 41-point quarter to lead at halftime 63-31.

At the break, Tulsa was 13-32 from the field (40.6%), 2-15 in threes (13.3%) and 3-10 from the charity stripe (3-10). Tennessee was surging with 22-41 made shots (53.7%), including 8-16 three-pointers, and 11-15 at the line (73.3%.

IN THE THIRD QUARTER . . .
Delanie Crawford entered double-digit scoring territory when she scored five fast-break points off a layup in the paint followed by a triple from deep, putting her at 12 points early in the third quarter.

After Jade Clack scored in the paint at 7:11, Tulsa was held scoreless for 3:39 until Mady Cartwright drew another shooting foul and went 1-2 from the line. No field goals were scored by the Hurricane for the remainder of the quarter, going 0-10 in that stretch.

Cartwright scored her 10^th point of the game when she netted a couple of free throws at 2:52. Tennessee led 78-45 heading into the fourth and final period.

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER . . .
Jade Clack snapped the field goal drought for Tulsa when she pulled up for a jump shot in the paint at 6:26 in the fourth quarter.

Delanie Crawford made her third three-pointer with 5:09 to go, moving to 17 points.

Tennessee continued to power ahead on offense as they surpassed 100 points for a sixth time this season.

Tulsa gave some valuable minutes to the bench as time expired. The score was 102-61 Tennessee.

GAME NOTES

Tulsa moved to 0-1 against Tennessee, 4-21 against SEC programs and 0-54 against nationally ranked teams.
In nonconference regular season events and tournaments, Tulsa dropped to 36-35 all-time.
Tennessee had 14 three-pointers, tying the most by an opposing team against TU.
102 points by the Lady Vols is the ninth-most scored by an opponent in Tulsa history.
Senior Delanie Crawford led Tulsa in scoring for a ninth time this season, putting up 17. It's her 11^th double-figure scoring game and 70^th of her career.
Sophomore Mady Cartwright came away with 12 points for her sixth game scoring over 10 points and 16^th time in double-digits in her career.
Sophomore Jade Clack came off the bench to score 11 points, her second contest in double-figures this season and in her career. It ties her career-high in points.
Junior Hadley Periman picked up 11 boards. It's her second game this year with over 10 rebounds in a game and ninth of her career.
Periman tied her season-high of three blocks. That moves her to 97 career rejections, passing Kendrian Elliott's (2016-20) 94 blocks for seventh on the all-time TU blocks chart.
Crawford's 17 points moved her to 1,403 career points. She needs 110 points to pass Larrissa Williams' (2006-10) 1,512 points for fifth on the all-time Hurricane points chart.
Crawford had three three-pointers Friday and ranks third for career triples (216) in program history, needing seven more to pass Kara Pongonis-Paslay's (2002-06) 222 threes.
Crawford stands at No. 6 in the all-time field-goals-made career chart for TU with 479 after recording six on Friday. She needs 91 more to pass Temira Poindexter's (2021-24) 569 FG for fifth.

With the conclusion of the nonconference slate, Tulsa looks ahead to the American Athletic Conference season, starting on Sunday, Dec. 29, against East Carolina (7-4) at home in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.