Tulsa Comes up Short at North Texas, 84-78

Wednesday, January 1

Denton, Texas

4:00 p.m.

Tulsa

7-7,1-1AAC

North Texas

10-4,2-0AAC

Tulsa

North Texas

Photo by: Ali Zamudio

Tulsa Comes up Short at North Texas, 84-78

1/1/2025 7:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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

DENTON, Texas — The Tulsa women's basketball team fought hard to come back against a strong North Texas team (10-4, 2-0 AAC) but came up short in an 84-78 decision Wednesday at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. The Golden Hurricane dropped to 7-7 and 1-1 in American Athletic Conference action.

North Texas never trailed as the Mean Green took advantage of a 23-11 first quarter and seemingly had an answer for all of Tulsa's successes on the court that brought the game to within just three points at 38-35 early in the third period.

UNT would finish the game with a 50% shooting (31-62) and three-point (6-12) mark and a strong performance at the line with 16-of-19 made free throws. Tulsa finished 43.1% from the field (31-72), including 36.7% from deep (11-30) and 62.5% (5-8) from the charity stripe.

After having her best career defensive game last time out with eight steals, sophomore Elise Hill enjoyed her best offensive game, scoring a career-high 22 points of an 8-of-14 clip from the field and 6-of-9 made threes. Senior Delanie Crawford matched with 22 points of her own with 9-of-20 made baskets.

Hadley Periman finished with her second double-double this season and her career with 11 points and 12 rebounds. She also coordinated the offense with five assists and two blocks, both team-bests. Periman helped Tulsa out-rebound UNT 41-34.

North Texas had four players finish in double-figure scoring with Jaaucklyn Moore (24 pts), AAC Preseason Player of the Year Tommisha Lampkin (18 pts), Desiree Wooten (14 pts) and Ereauna Hardaway (13 pts) all scoring 10 or more on the day.

"I didn't like our start," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "I didn't think that we started that great at all. North Texas is a good team, but I didn't think there was anything that they did specifically to take us out of our rhythm.

"We've got a great team with a big heart. No matter what the score is, we never believe we're out of it. We kept fighting back and fighting back and there were these pivotal moments where we made a free throw or got a rebound. Just these little things that we've just got to learn from and grow and be more consistent in the way that we string together these plays that are kind of required when you're trying to build some momentum so the momentum doesn't become choppy."

HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST QUARTER . . .
The Mean Green opened the game's scoring with 3-pointers from three shooters and a converted and-1 from Aniyah Johnson, forcing TU to take a timeout at 5:30 down 12-0.

TU finally got on the board at 3:56 when Elise Hill pulled up for a jump shot at close range. The Hurricane was 0-8 from the field before Hill scored. On the following possession, she swished Tulsa's first three-pointer set up by Kristol Ayson.

From there, it was a back-and-forth scoring affair with both teams trading scores on consecutive possessions. UNT finished the first quarter up 23-11

IN THE SECOND QUARTER . . .
Delanie Crawford scored the first basket of the second period off a deep two-pointer. North Texas then proceeded to score 2-point baskets on three straight possessions before Tulsa went on a 17-5 scoring run to bring the score to within four at 34-40 UNT at the media break.

During that run, Elise Hill had two fast-break 3-pointers and Mady Cartwright drove to the basket for a layup. Crawford accounted for three field goals in the run while Hadley Periman enjoyed a tip-in layup.

North Texas scored four more close-range points before Cartwright capped the first half with a pair of free throws with less than a minute to go. Tulsa outscored North Texas 21-15 in the second quarter, trimming the Mean Green's lead to 38-32 at the break.

By halftime, Tulsa was shooting 35.1% from the field (13-37), 25% from three (4-16) and 2-for-2 from the line, while North Texas was 51.6% in field goal shooting, including 44.4% from beyond the arc (4-9), 66.7% from the charity stripe (2-3).

Hill (13) and Crawford (11) were leading the Hurricane in scoring. Hill was 5-9 in FG and 3-5 from deep.

IN THE THIRD QUARTER . . .
Hadley Periman got things started in the second half with a 3-pointer from Paige Bradley. Elise Hill drained her fourth trey of the game at 7:38 after North Texas scored six unanswered points.

North Texas then went ahead by 13 at 51-38 following a pair of fast break layups and a triple from Jaaucklyn Moore.

After the media break, Hill recorded her fifth 3-pointer and seventh total field goal (7-11) at 4:05. The score put her at 19 points on the day, surpassing her career-high of 18. Kennedi Alexander followed on the following possession with her first field goal of the game.

The Mean Green had an answer to nearly all of Tulsa's scores, holding the Hurricane without any scoring runs until 1:23 in the third quarter when Periman and Alexander scored on back-to-back possessions, putting the score at 60-47 North Texas.

UNT outscored Tulsa 5-1 in the final 36 seconds to close the third frame on top 64-48.

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER . . .
Delanie Crawford struck first with a mid-range jumper that was answered by UNT's Tommisha Lampkin on a layup. Crawford and Paige Bradley found their way to the basket for a pair of 2-point plays and North Texas' Aniyah Johnson drove to the basket for two.

Elise Hill continued to pound the 3-ball with her sixth triple of the game at 7:57, putting her at 22 points. It became her first career 20+ point scoring game. At this point in the game, she was 8-14 from the field and 6-9 from deep.

After North Texas scored four, Tulsa used an 8-0 run to make it a seven-point game at 72-65. The Mean Green would respond with a 6-0 run, all on fast-break points. A Kristol Ayson 3-pointer and a free throw by UNT's Lampkin make it a 76-68 ballgame at the media break with 2:23 left to play.

Crawford and Ayson each added a trey and Bradley laid it up for two. The triple got Crawford to 20 points on the day. North Texas had a free throw and jumper in between of Tulsa's scores. Then, UNT rebounded a missed Hadley Periman three and called timeout up 79-73 with 43 seconds to go.

Mady Cartwright successfully took the ball back on a held jump ball and called a 30-second timeout with 38 seconds on the clock. Crawford received the ball during the in-bound play and put the ball through the net in the paint to chip away at the deficit. It was 79-75 at the subsequent UNT timeout.

A foul was called on TU that sent the Mean Green to the line. The Hurricane couldn't score on the following possession and fouled after the UNT rebound. Two more made free throws by North Texas put them ahead by eight at 83-75 with just 19 seconds left on the board.

Cartwright put away a much-needed three at 11 seconds, but North Texas put away one of two free throws and put on a full-court press defense. Time ran out on the Hurricane, ending the game at 84-78.

GAME NOTES

Tulsa would not get its 10^th win over North Texas Wednesday as the all-time series moved to 9-2 following the loss.
Sophomore Elise Hill's career-high 22 points marks her eighth game this season scoring in double-figures and 11^th in her career.
It was also Hill's first career 20+ point game.
Senior Delanie Crawford scored 22 points for her 13^th double-digit scoring contest this season and 72^nd of her career.
22 points by Crawford is the fifth time she surpassed 20 points in a game this season and 21^st in her career.
Hadley Periman enjoyed her second double-double this season and in her career with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
It's Periman's fourth double-digit scoring game and fifth of her career. Her 12 boards mark the third time this year she's reached 10 or more in a game and the 10^th of her career.
Periman's two blocks moved her to 101 career rejections, becoming the seventh TU player ever to earn 100 or more career stuffs. She needs 20 to pass Megan Moody's (2002-06) 120 blocks for sixth on the all-time TU blocks chart.
Crawford's 22 points moved her to 1,461 career points. She needs 52 points to pass Larrissa Williams' (2006-10) 1,512 points for fifth on the all-time Hurricane points chart.
Crawford also had two three-pointers Wednesday, ranking third for career triples (221) in program history, needing two 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 502 after recording nine on Wednesday, becoming the sixth TU player to reach 500 career field goals. She needs 68 more to pass Temira Poindexter's (2021-24) 569 FG for fifth.

The Hurricane will return home to the Donald W. Reynolds Center to face UTSA (10-2, 1-0 AAC) on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 2:00 p.m., and Charlotte (5-7, 0-1 AAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m.