Tulsa Takes Down New Orleans in Season Opener, 77-60

Wednesday, November 5

Tulsa, Okla.

6:30 p.m.

Tulsa

1-0,0-0American

New Orleans

0-2,0-0Southland

New Orleans

Tulsa

Photo by: Alina Lebedeva

Tulsa Takes Down New Orleans in Season Opener, 77-60

11/5/2025 10:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa (1-0) secured a 77-60 victory over New Orleans (0-2) Wednesday night in front of 1,287 Golden Hurricane fans at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The home team capitalized on 27 points off turnovers to dominate the matchup down the stretch.

Head Coach Angie Nelp expressed satisfaction with her team's performance, stating, "Really exciting start that we had. We're glad to be back in the Reynolds Center." She praised the team's cohesion, noting, "I felt like we did such a great job on the floor of continuing to stay connected and play together the whole entire game. I thought that was reflected in the way that we had many different players see scoring opportunities, we had many assists on our main baskets. I think there's two things you're always going to see from Tulsa women's basketball. It's teamwork and toughness, and I felt like we displayed that at a really high level today.

"Basketball is a game of runs. We had ours, they had theirs, and I felt like we really fought through some of those tougher moments." I really liked the way that we rebounded the ball down the stretch. I thought that was a big difference in the 4th quarter. Just super proud of our team and the effort that they had today."

Tulsa and New Orleans tipped off with Tulsa taking control early, with Alisha Peavy scoring a layup at the 9:03 mark. Peavy continued to dominate, scoring a 3-pointer and another layup, contributing significantly to the home team's quick lead. Laura Di Stefano added to the momentum with a 3-pointer at 8:03, extending Tulsa's lead to 8-0. The Privateers struggled with turnovers, allowing Tulsa to capitalize and build a 19-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. Brialle Washington led New Orleans with a 3-pointer and two successful free throws, but Tulsa's early advantage held strong.

In the second quarter, New Orleans edged ahead with a 22-17 score, closing the gap established in the first quarter. Lauren Banks' scoring spurt, featuring a 3-pointer and a layup, helped tie the game at 22 points midway through the quarter. Tulsa responded with a scoring run, highlighted by a crucial 3-pointer from Dora Toman and a fast-break layup by Haven Fisher, giving the home team a 31-24 advantage at the 1:44 mark. Hailee Brennen's late 3-pointer brought the Privateers within five, as the quarter ended with Tulsa leading 36-31.

Tulsa maintained control throughout the third quarter, outscoring New Orleans 20-16. Mady Cartwright hit a fast-break 3-pointer at the 7:02 mark to extend the lead to eight points. A series of turnovers and defensive stops characterized the quarter, with both teams committing multiple turnovers. Toman's 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining pushed the Golden Hurricane's advantage to 11 points, a lead they held until the quarter concluded.

Tulsa secured a decisive victory over New Orleans, outscoring them 21-13 in the final quarter. Cartwright contributed significantly with two 3-pointers, including one at the 5:05 mark. Abby Jegede added a 3-pointer at 1:43 to extend the lead. Fisher also played a key role, hitting a 3-pointer with 3:19 remaining and assisting on Brynn Eshoo's late 3-pointer to seal the win.

Tulsa will continue their three-game season-opening home stretch on Sunday, November 9, against Prairie View A&M at 6:30 p.m.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Mady Cartwright
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- Career-high 26 points
- Career-high 6 three-pointers made
- Career-high 5 steals
- 4 assists

Alisha Peavy
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- 9 points
- 12 rebounds
- 2 blocks

Dora Toman
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- 6 points
- 3 blocks
- 5 assists
- 2 steals

New Orleans' Top Performers
Brialle Washington
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- 15 points
- 5/12 field goals made
- 5 rebounds

Lauren Banks
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- 16 points
- 6/13 field goals made
- 1 block

Jayla Kimbrough
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- 12 rebounds
- 1 block
- 1 steal

Shanihya Brown
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- 4 steals
- 6 points
- 2 assists

Game Notes
- Tulsa has now won six season-openers in a row and seven of their last eight season-opening contests.
- Angie Nelp is now 5-0 in season-openers as Tulsa's head coach. No TU head coach has ever won more than two consecutive season-openers.
- The Golden Hurricane improves their all-time series lead over New Orleans to 4-1.
- Mady Cartwright led Tulsa with 26 points and 5 steals, both career-highs.
- Cartwright also had career-highs in field goals made (9), field goal attempts (17) and 3-pointers made (6).
- Cartwright enjoyed her 28th career double-figure scoring game and third overall 20+ point contest.
- True freshman Dora Toman led TU with five assists and three blocks in her first career game.
- Haven Fisher, another true freshman, scored 11 points in her debut.
- Alisha Peavy in her collegiate debut led the Golden Hurricane with 12 rebounds, 11 of which were on defense, and finished with 9 points.
- Tulsa capitalized on turnovers, scoring 27 points off New Orleans' errors.
- As a team, TU shot 40.8% from the field and made 13 treys.

2025 TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now on sale for $13 per ticket per game for ages 4 and older and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the entrance. Season tickets also start at just $77. Season ticket members will receive 1 (one) ALL-IN-1 pass that will be good for all 2025 TU Women's Basketball regular-season home games in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the women's basketball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.