Tulsa Women Fall Short in Late Rally Against North Texas

Saturday, February 15

Tulsa, Okla.

2:00 p.m.

Tulsa

North Texas

Photo by: Bill Powell

Tulsa Women Fall Short in Late Rally Against North Texas

2/15/2025 5:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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TULSA, Okla. — Despite a valiant fourth-quarter push, the Tulsa women's basketball team came up just short in a 61-58 loss to North Texas Saturday afternoon in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The Golden Hurricane dropped to 12-13 overall and 6-7 in American Athletic Conference action, while the Mean Green improved to 19-7, 11-3 AAC.

The Hurricane struggled offensively, shooting just 31.8% (21-66) from the field and 26.5% (9-34) from 3-point range. North Texas capitalized on Tulsa's cold shooting stretches, particularly in the third quarter, when the Mean Green outscored Tulsa 21-9 to take control of the game.

Tulsa fought back with a 21-11 fourth-quarter push, nearly erasing an 11-point quarter deficit. The Hurricane found success beyond the arc late, knocking down five 3-pointers in the final frame, including a four-point play by senior Delanie Crawford with 10 seconds to play, making it a 59-58 contest. Following was a Mean Green layup, and last-second shots were missed by TU to cap the 61-58 loss.

North Texas dominated in the paint, finishing with 40 paint points to Tulsa's 20. The Mean Green had only three 3-pointers, had one more rebound (38) than Tulsa (37) and finished with 23 turnovers to the Hurricane's 19, but did just enough to escape Tulsa with the win.

Senior guard Delanie Crawford led Tulsa with 19 points and four assists. The defense was boosted by nine rebounds by junior Hadley Periman, three steals by sophomore Mady Cartwright and two blocks by sophomore Jade Clack.

"What a great what a great fight by our team," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "As much as it stings and hurts for our players, you have to see the good in the fight that we had. Our team was really amazing today. I know we have these different lapses and these gaps where we know we've got some areas where we're going to continue to grow, continue to focus on those controllables that we have. But my gosh, this team is just amazing to coach in the way that every single time they're between the lines, they lay it all out there. Every single player. I loved our teamwork today. I felt like we got a lot of production from a lot of different areas. Delanie Crawford continues to be amazing as she's faced with different defenses and different styles of defense. They held her all over the floor tonight. She did a great job. You look at what Paige [Bradley] and Mady [Cartwright] were able to contribute. And I'm telling you, this team is this team is right there, and just continues to believe in what we're capable of still becoming."

The Mean Green's Tommisha Lampkin showed why she's the league's leading double-double athlete, coming away with floor-highs of 29 points and 15 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST QUARTER . . .
Tulsa opened the game with solid defense and took an early 5-0 lead behind a three-pointer from Mady Cartwright and a layup from Jade Clack. However, the Golden Hurricane struggled from the field, shooting just 26.7% in the quarter and missing several open looks. North Texas responded with a 6-0 run to briefly take the lead, capitalizing on Tulsa's missed opportunities. Delanie Crawford's late bucket helped Tulsa reclaim the advantage, and the home team held a narrow 9-8 lead after a low-scoring opening period.

IN THE SECOND QUARTER . . .
The second quarter saw both teams trade baskets, with Tulsa continuing to rely on outside shooting. Delanie Crawford and Cam Mathews each knocked down three-pointers, while Hadley Periman contributed on the boards, grabbing key rebounds to keep possessions alive. North Texas, however, found success in the paint, with Tommisha Lampkin scoring efficiently inside and forcing Tulsa into foul trouble. A late three-pointer from Tulsa kept it close, but North Texas edged out the quarter 21-19 to take a 29-28 lead into halftime.

At halftime, Tulsa was 31.4% (11-35) from the field, 26.7% (4-15) from 3-point range and 100% (2-2) at the line while North Texas was 46.2% (12-26) in field goal shooting, including 20% (1-5) in threes, and 66.7% at the charity stripe (4-6).

IN THE THIRD QUARTER . . .
The third quarter proved costly for Tulsa, as North Texas outscored the Golden Hurricane 21-9. Tulsa struggled from the field, shooting just 21.4% and missing all seven of its three-point attempts, allowing North Texas to extend its lead. Meanwhile, the Mean Green continued their dominance inside, with Tommisha Lampkin scoring at will and North Texas capitalizing on second-chance opportunities. Tulsa also committed six turnovers, leading to easy fast-break points for the visitors. By the end of the quarter, North Texas had built a 50-37 lead, putting Tulsa in a tough spot heading into the final period.

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER . . .
Facing a 13-point deficit, Tulsa mounted a furious rally in the final quarter. The Hurricane found their rhythm from beyond the arc, hitting on five 3-pointers, including clutch shots from Paige Bradley and Hadley Periman. An 8-0 run midway through the quarter cut the deficit to single digits, energizing the home crowd and shifting momentum. Delanie Crawford made her first triple of the game on a 4-point play with 10 seconds left to cut the deficit to just one at 59-58, giving TU one last chance to tie the game after North Texas answered with a fast break layup. Unfortunately, last second-shots by TU refused to fall through the net, ending the game in favor of North Texas, 61-58.

GAME NOTES

Tulsa maintains the series lead with North Texas, 9-3.
North Texas got its first win over the Hurricane in the Reynolds Center.
The Mean Green dominated the paint, outscoring Tulsa 40-20.
Despite falling to 9-4 at home this season, TU is still a strong home-court team. The Hurricane is 24-6 at in the Donald W. Reynolds Center since the start of last season, 35-10 since 2022-23 and 43-15 since Nelp joined the program.
Senior Delanie Crawford led with 19 points for her 22nd double-figure scoring game this season and 81st of her career.
Periman stays at 120 blocks in her career, tying Megan Moody's (2002-06) 120 rejections for sixth on the all-time TU blocks chart.
Crawford now has 67 3-pointers this season. It's the seventh-most in a single season by a TU player and just 32 off the record of 99 she set last year.
Crawford's 19 points moved her to 1,628 career points. She needs 115 more to pass Taleya Mayberry's (2009-13) 1,742 points for second in Tulsa history.
Crawford stands at No. 6 in the all-time field-goals-made career chart for TU with 560 after recording seven on Saturday. She needs 10 more to pass Temira Poindexter's (2021-24) 569 baskets for fifth.
Crawford has 296 career assists for ninth all-time. 26 more will help her pass Alexis Gaulden's (2016-20) 321 assists for eighth.
Lastly, Crawford maintains an .816 career free throw percentage, the ninth-best in Tulsa history. She also has the ninth-most free throws under her belt with 253.

The Hurricane will stay in Tulsa to host Tulane (15-9, 8-5 AAC) for a midweek clash on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 6:30. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game as it will be Tulsa's annual Pink Game.