Thursday, March 28
6:30 PM
Tulsa
vs
(4) Illinois
Photo by: Joshua Rogers
Tulsa Set to Host Illinois Tonight in WBIT Quarterfinals
3/26/2024 8:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game time is 6:30 p.m. at the Reynolds Center
GAME 35:
TULSA (25-9, 13-5 AAC) vs. ILLINOIS (16-15, 8-10 Big 10)
Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) • Quarterfinal Round
Thursday • March 28, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tula, Okla.
TICKETS: Click Here
RADIO: 93.5 The Jet
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TV: ESPN+
GAME NOTES: Tulsa I Illinois
WBIT DIGITAL PROGRAM: Click Here
THE COACHES:
Tulsa: Angie Nelp (Colorado State '02), 3rd year
Career Record: 59-33 (3 years)
School Record: same
Illinois: Shauna Green (Canisius College '02), 2nd year
Career Record: 194-100 (10 years)
School Record: 38-25 (2 years)
Tulsa Probable Starters
0 G Katia Gallegos, 5-7, Sr-1L, El Paso, Texas, 6.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.7 apg
2 F Temira Poindexter, 6-1, Jr-2L, Sapulpa, Okla., 21.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg
5 G Delanie Crawford, 5-11, Jr-2L, Piedmont, Okla., 19.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg
21 F Hadley Periman, 6-2, So-1L, Tuttle, Okla., 2.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg
22 G Mady Cartwright, 5-10, Fr-HS, Greenwood, Ark., 6.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Illinois Probable Starters
1 G Genesis Bryant, 5-6, Sr., Jonesboro, Ga., 13.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
3 G Makira Cook, 5-6, Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 15.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg
24 G Adalia McKenzie, 5-10, G., Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn., 11.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg
41 C Camille Hobby, 6-3, 5th Year, Jacksonville, Fla., 9.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg
44 F Kendall Bostic, 6-2, Sr., Kokomo, Ind., 12.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg
Facing Illinois
• This is the second meeting between Tulsa and Illinois.
• Illinois won the first meeting, 82-75, on Nov. 23, 2012, in the first game of the Junkanoo Jamboree in Freeport, Bahamas.
• This is only the second time Tulsa has faced a Big 10 opponent in school history … however, Tulsa did play current Big 10 member Nebraska when the Huskers were members of the Big 8 Conference in the 1986-87 season as Tulsa fell 88-41 in Tulsa.
Tulsa in Postseason for Seventh Time
• Tulsa is making its seventh postseason appearance in school history and now has an overall 5-6 record.
• With two WBIT wins this is the first time that Tulsa has won two games in a postseason tournament.
• Tulsa earned the WBIT bid by winning the American Athletic Conference regular season championship.
• In the postseason, Tulsa has played in two NCAA Tournaments (2006, 2013), four times in the WNIT (2004, 2005, 2015 and 2022) and now the WBIT.
• Tulsa is 1-2 in NCAA play, 2-0 in WBIT and 2-4 in the WNIT.
• In NCAA play, Tulsa defeated 5-seed NC State 71-61 in its first-ever NCAA Tournament game, but in second round action lost to host and #4-seed DePaul 71-67 in 2006.
• In WNIT action, Tulsa's first postseason action was against Memphis, falling 66-64 on the road in 2004 … in remaining WNIT play, Tulsa defeated Missouri State (2015) and North Texas (2022), and fell to Texas A&M (2005), Eastern Michigan (2015) and Wyoming (2022).
• This is Tulsa's second postseason appearance under Angie Nelp, as she led the Hurricane to the WNIT in her first season (2021-22) and claimed a first-round. win over North Texas (75-62) before falling in three OTs at Wyoming (97-90)
Tulsa Advances in WBIT with Second Round Win Over Georgetown
• Tulsa scored the final 12 points to pull away for a 73-61 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas in WBIT second round action.
• With the scored tied 61-61 at the 6:41 mark of the final quarter, Tulsa would score the next 12 points.
• Delanie Crawford scored a game-high 21 points, including six in Tulsa's closing run, while also adding six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
• Temira Poindexter added 19 points and blocked three shots, while freshmen Elise Hill and Mady Cartwright combined for 20 points.
• Tulsa took an 11-point lead in the first quarter when Elise Hill's three-pointer put Tulsa ahead 19-8 with 4:23 remaining on the clock. The Hurricane ended the opening quarter
with a 27-20 lead and led 41-37 at halftime.
Tulsa Takes Opening Round WBIT Win Over Arkansas
• Tulsa built a 17-point first-quarter lead and cruised to an 80-62 victory over Arkansas in a WBIT first-round game.
• The AAC's Player of the Year Temira Poindexter led Tulsa in scoring with 21 points, while freshman Elise Hill scored a career-high 18 points and Delanie Crawford added 17.
• In the first half, the Hurricane played all but the first 1:16 of the second quarter with a lead of over 20 points with the biggest margin of 28 points
• In the second half, Tulsa held a 20+ lead for all but the final 0:03 of the third period when Arkansas cut its deficit to 18 points to end the period … In the final frame, Tulsa led by as many as 24 points, while the closest Arkansas would get was the final 18-point margin.
Poindexter, Crawford Named WBCA Region Finalists for All-America Team
• Tulsa juniors Temira Poindexter and Delanie Crawford were named two of 52 region finalists for the 10-member Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America Team.
• The duo was among 11 players named to the list from Region 3 … there are five WBCA regions.
• The WBCA Division I All-America team will be announced on April 4.
Crawford Named to CSC Academic All-District Team
• Earlier this week, Delanie Crawford was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.
• Crawford possesses a3.531 grade point average in management.
• Crawford advances to the national ballot for Academic All-America, which will be voted on by members of CSC and announced on Tuesday, April 16.
Poindexter Becomes First Player to Reach 700 Points in a Season
• Temira Poindexter became the school's all-time single season scoring leader with 21 points against Arkansas, giving her 696 points.
• She entered the game 17 points behind leader Allison Curtin's (2002-03, 30 games) 692 points.
• A game later, Poindexter became the first Tulsa player to surpass 700 single-season points and with 29 points vs. Georgetown and now has 715 points in 34 games.
• Fellow junior Delanie Crawford has notched 648 points this season and moved up to third-place on the single-season chart, surpassing Taleya Mayberry's (2006-07, 33 games) total of 616 points.
• Poindexter reached 600 points in her 30-point game at Temple (2/28), while Crawford hit 600 in the AAC quarterfinals against East Carolina (3/11).
Tulsa Captures Regular Season AAC Championship
• After being picked 7th in the American' Athletic Conference preseason poll, Tulsa posted a 13-5 AAC mark and tied North Texas for the regular season championship.
• Tulsa claimed the No. 1 seed in The American's postseason tournament by virtue of a 79-74 home win over North Texas, however, Tulsa fell in the quarterfinal round 75-71 to defending AAC postseason champion East Carolina.
• Tulsa began the year 2-2 and then posted an 11-3 record the remainder of the league season.
• During the year, Tulsa defeated first-place North Texas on Feb. 4 at home and went on the road Feb. 28 to defeat first-place Temple.
Tulsa's Poindexter & Crawford Get Top AAC Honors
• Tulsa's dynamic junior duo of Temira Poindexter and Delanie Crawford were recognized for their play this year by American Athletic Conference coaches.
• Poindexter was named the AAC's PLAYER OF THE YEAR and Crawford was named the AAC's MOST IMPROVED PLAYER.
• Poindexter was a first-team all-conference selection for the second consecutive season.
• Crawford was also named to the AAC's second team this year.
The American's Player of the Year
• Temira Poindexter was named the AAC's Player of the Year giving Tulsa its first American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in the school's 10-year membership.
• She is just the second player in school history to be named the Conference Player of the Year in women's basketball … Jillian Robbins (2003-07) was the first as she was named the
2006 Conference USA Player of the Year.
• In her career, Poindexter has racked up the honors, earning Player of the Year (2024), Freshman of the Year (2022), two-time first-team all-conference (2023, '24), all-freshman
team (2022), Freshman of the Week nine times (2022), AAC Player of the Week three times (2023) and has been named to the AAC weekly honor roll 10 times (2021-24).
The American's Most Improved Player
• Delanie Crawford was picked by the league's coaches as the 2024 Most Improved Player.
• She was also named second-team all-conference, adding to her all-freshman team honor from 2022.
• Crawford was named Player of the Week once this year and named to the weekly honor roll six times.
• Here's a comparison of Crawford's numbers, this season compared to last year…
Category 2023-24 2022-23
Points 648 (19.1) 334 (11.1)
Rebounds 197 (5.8) 144 (4.8)
Assists 94 (2.8) 90 (3.0)
Steals 39 (1.1) 24 (0.8)
FG% .438 (214-489) .462 (117-253)
3PT% .392 (94-240) .368 (51-134)
FT% .834 (126-151) .778 (49-63)
10+ pt games 32 18
20+ pt games 15 1
Double-Doubles 5 1
10+ Rebounds 5 1
Fastbreak Points
• This is only the second 20-win season in school history, and only the ninth winning seasons in 39 years of the basketball program.
• The Hurricane has made 10+ three-pointers in a total of 13 games this season, including seven of the last nine games and in 10 of 18 AAC regular season games.
• Tulsa has reached over 17 wins for the third straight year, all under Angie Nelp … the previous two seasons Tulsa finished the season with 17 wins.
• Tulsa is 16-3 when leading after the first quarter and 19-4 when leading at halftime.
• Tulsa is 5-5 when trailing at halftime.
• The Hurricane is 9-0 when two players reach 20 points in the same game, including 8-0 when the two players are Delanie Crawford and Temira Poindexter.
• In Angie Nelp's three seasons, Tulsa has knocked down double-digit three-pointers in 38 of 92 games, including – nine in 2021-22, 15 in 2022-23 and 13 this year.
• With a 59-33 coaching record, Nelp has won the most games of any Tulsa coach in their first three seasons.
• Tulsa's 59 wins in the last three years is the second-most in a three-year stretch, behind 64 wins from 2003-06.
25 Wins, 14 at Home
• Tulsa's 25 wins is the second-most in school history behind a 26-6 record in the 2005-06 season.
• Tulsa has posted a 15-1 home record for the top home mark in school history
• The Hurricane had two previous one-loss seasons at home, including 12-1 in 2004-05 and 11-1 in 2005-06.
• Tulsa's 13 conference wins ties for the most in school history, tying Tulsa's 13 Conference USA wins (13-3) in 2005-06 … the 13 AAC wins is one better than the previous-high in the
AAC when Tulsa won 12 games in the 2014-15 season.
• Tulsa has now posted three-straight winning seasons, the second-most in school history behind four straight winning seasons from 2001-06.
Most in School History
• Tulsa has set season-highs for points, field goals and three-pointers made this year.
• In 34 games, the Hurricane has scored 2,419 points, made 849 field goals and 305 3-pointers … the new marks break the previous highs of of 2,245 points (2005-06), 793 field goals
(2005-06) and 295 three-pointers (2022-23).
More on Poindexter & Crawford Scoring Accolades
• Delanie Crawford and Temira Poindexter have reached some career milestones in just their junior seasons.
• Earlier this season, Poindexter reached 1,000 career points and is now ranked 3rd on the school's career scoring chart with 1,541 points.
• Crawford joined Poindexter and became just the 13th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points as she scored 29 points at Wichita State (2/17) … she now has 1,178 career points for ninth place on the school's career scoring chart.
• Both players have also scored 600+ points, making them only the third and fourth players in school history to do so, and the first pair of teammates to do so.
• They are also the first pair of teammates and also only the fourth and fifth players to score over 500+ points in a single season, which has been done a total of seven times.
• Against UTSA (2/14), Poindexter surpassed 500 points, while Crawford surpassed 500 points against UAB (2/21).
• Only Jillian Robbins (3 years), Taleya Mayberry (1 year) and Allison Curtin (1 year) are the other players with a 500+ scoring season
Freshman Hill's Production Goes Up
• Freshman Elise Hill, from local Holland Hall High School, has taken advantage of more playing time over the last seven games.
• In the first 24 games in which she saw action, Hill averaged just 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in just 7.2 minutes of playing time.
• Over the last seven contests, Hill has averaged 8.9 points (62) and 2.3 rebounds (16) in 16.8 minutes of playing time (117.89)
• Hill is shooting .487 (19-39) from the field, 11-19 (.579) from three-point range and .867 from the free throw line (13-15) in those seven games, whereas she had a .288 field goal percentage, .192 free throw percentage in her first 24 games played.
• She scored a career-high 18 points against Arkansas on 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
• Hill added 11 points on 3-of-4 from the field, all three-pointers, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
Poindexter Moving Up Career Lists
• Temira Poindexter ranks on the school's all-time top-10 lists for points (1,541) in third place, blocks (147) for fourth place, field goals made (560) for fifth place and 3-point field goals made (180) for third place.
• Poindexter averages 16.8 points in 92 career games.
• She became just the 12th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
• She reached the 1,000-point mark by scoring 15 points at TCU on Dec. 1, which was her 66th career game played.
• Poindexter became the second-fastest to reach 1,000 career points, behind Jillian Robbins
(2003-07), who accomplished the feat in 63 games.
More on Poindexter
• Temira Poindexter has now scored in double-digits in all 34 games this year and for the 79th time in 92 career games.
• She has scored in double digits in her last 38 games dating back to last season.
• Poindexter has 21 games with 20+ points this season and 36 times in her career.
• She had her sixth 30+ scoring game of the season and her career with 31 vs East Carolina in the AAC quarterfinals (3/11).
• Poindexter has scored in double digits in the first half of a game 19 times this season –– 15 at Lindenwood, 16 vs. New Orleans, 18 vs. UAPB, 16 vs. #25 Mississippi State, 13 at TCU, 12 vs. UCA, 10 vs. Texas Tech, 17 vs. Tulane, 11 at FAU, 11 at East Carolina (2/1), 13 at Rice, 15 vs. UAB, 14 vs. USF, 18 at Temple, 12 vs. SMU, 10 at Tulane, 10 vs. East Carolina (3/11), 17 vs. Arkansas and 11 vs. Georgetown.
• Poindexter had her seventh career double-double with 33 points and 10 rebounds against Rice (2/10).
More on Crawford
• Delanie Crawford has been consistent for the Hurricane this season … she is not only scoring 19.1 points per game to rank second on the roster and third in the American Athletic Conference, but the junior has done it efficiently.
• Crawford has a .438 field goal percentage, .392 from three-point range and .834 from the charity stripe.
• She had her third 30+ scoring night with 30 points against South Florida (2/25).
• Crawford surpassed the 1,000-point plateau against Wichita State and now has 1,178 points in 91 career games to rank ninth on the school's all-time scoring chart
• Overall, Crawford is also second on the team for rebounds (197) for a 5.8 average and leads Tulsa in assists with 94 for a 2.8 average.
• Crawford has 31 double-digit scoring games and leads Tulsa with five double-figure rebounding games and five double-doubles.
• Against Rice (1/24) with the score tied 65-65, Crawford hit four straight free throws in the final 0:29 to help secure the win for the Hurricane.
• Crawford scored 20 of Tulsa's 48 points against SE Louisiana, and the most important ones came with 0:01 left in the game when she made 2-of-2 free throws for a 48-47 victory.
• Crawford is tied for fourth on the school's career 3-point field goals made list with 171.
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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