Tulsa Women Down South Florida 66-58 on Senior Night

Wednesday, February 26

Tulsa, Okla.

6:30 p.m.

Tulsa

15-13,9-7AAC

South Florida

20-9,13-3AAC

South Fla.

Tulsa

Photo by: Joshua Rogers

Tulsa Women Down South Florida 66-58 on Senior Night

2/26/2025 10:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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TULSA, Okla. — Balanced scoring and an elite defensive performance allowed the Tulsa women's basketball team to secure a pivotal 66-58 victory over the streaking South Florida Bulls, snapping their nine-game win streak during Senior Night Wednesday in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Winners of three straight, the Golden Hurricane improved to 15-13 overall and 9-7 in the American Athletic Conference, while South Florida dropped to 20-9 and 13-3 in league play.

With a head-to-head tiebreaker over Tulane (16-11, 9-7 AAC), Tulsa moved up to fifth place in league standings. With two games left in the regular season, the Hurricane can clinch the No. 5 seed in the AAC Championship by winning out or splitting games with Tulane in the final stretch.

Sophomore Mady Cartwright led the Hurricane with 18 points, while junior Hadley Periman contributed 11 points and seven rebounds and senior Kristol Ayson finished with 11 points and four boards. Tulsa shot 42.4 percent from the field, including eight 3-pointers, while limiting South Florida to 4-of-12 made from deep and holding them to just 11 points in the fourth quarter.

The game saw nine lead changes and six ties, with Tulsa taking control late in the third quarter. A 9-0 run going into the final period pushed the Hurricane to their largest lead of 13 points at 64-51, and they held off a late Bulls' push with key defensive stops.

Despite South Florida's efforts, including 17 points from Vittoria Blasigh, Tulsa's defense held firm down the stretch. The Hurricane forced 18 turnovers and limited South Florida to 38.6 percent shooting, disrupting their offensive flow in all four quarters.

"Really proud of our team," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "Really proud of the way that we played today. I felt like we played with a lot of heart throughout that whole game. Obviously, it's a game where we had a little bit of extra emotion in honoring our two seniors, Delanie Crawford and Lexie Foutch, but Mady Cartwright stepped up huge for us in this game offensively being able to score behind the arc and being able to drive the ball to the basket. You look at it as a true team win because you look at what Hadley Periman, Kristol Ayson and Jade Clack did tonight too. There were so many different things throughout the game and Cam Mathews coming in huge and getting that pride play diving on the floor there. It was so much of a team effort this game, and I'm really proud of our team."

HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST QUARTER . . .
Tulsa established an early edge, leading 20-15 after the first quarter. The Hurricane came out strong with aggressive ball movement and perimeter shooting, sinking three 3-pointers in the opening frame. Mady Cartwright was instrumental early, scoring 10 points in the quarter with a 4-6 shooting mark and 2-4 clip from beyond the arc, while Tulsa's defense forced six turnovers to set the tone. South Florida countered with solid interior play, getting key contributions from Carla Brito and Sammie Puisis, but struggled to slow Tulsa's transition game. The Bulls found themselves trailing, but their rebounding and a buzzer-beating three by Vittoria Blasigh at the end of the frame kept them within striking distance.

IN THE SECOND QUARTER . . .
The second quarter saw South Florida battle back, outscoring Tulsa 15-11 to close the gap to one at halftime, 31-30. The Bulls tightened their defense, forcing Tulsa into tough shots and limiting their 3-point attempts. Vittoria Blasigh helped lead the charge, scoring key baskets while South Florida controlled the tempo for much of the quarter. TU, however, responded with clutch plays from Mady Cartwright, Cam Mathews and Jade Clack, who combined for timely buckets to maintain a slim edge. Despite Tulsa's struggles from the field, their defensive intensity prevented the Bulls from taking full control.

IN THE THIRD QUARTER . . .
Tulsa found its rhythm in the third quarter, outscoring South Florida 22-17 to reclaim momentum. The Hurricane's offense clicked behind Cartwright's consistent scoring and crucial 3-pointers from Kennedi Alexander and Hadley Periman. Tulsa's defense continued to be a nuisance for the Bulls, forcing turnovers that led to easy transition baskets and helping them create separation. South Florida attempted to keep pace with inside scoring from L'or Mputu, but their outside shooting faltered. By the end of the quarter, Tulsa had extended its lead to six at 53-47, setting the stage for a strong finish.

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER . . .
In the fourth quarter, Tulsa capped a decisive 9-0 run that proved to be the difference. A combination of perimeter shooting and tough defensive stands allowed the Hurricane to take their largest lead of the game at 64-51. The Bulls made a late push behind Vittoria Blasigh's efforts, but Tulsa's execution and smart clock management in the final minutes, ensured the victory. Hadley Periman's second-chance points and defensive presence in the paint helped stave off any comeback attempt. Tulsa would finish the game on top, 66-58.

GAME NOTES

Tulsa won its second game against South Florida, now in back-to-back games, chipping away at the Bulls' 13-2 series lead.
TU finishes the 2024-25 home schedule with an 11-4 record, moving to 26-6 at home since the start of last season, 37-10 since 2022-23 and 45-15 since Head Coach Angie Nelp joined the program.
The Hurricane limited the Bulls to just 12 3-point attempts and zero blocks.
Sophomore Mady Cartwright produced 18 points for her 13th double-figure scoring game this season and 23rd in her career.
Senior Kristol Ayson finished with 11 points for her eighth game scoring in double digits this year and 18th of her career (52 when counting NJCAA games).
Junior Hadley Periman recorded 11 points. It's her 12th double-figure scoring contest this year and 13th of her career.
Despite scoring just two points, senior Delanie Crawford led the Hurricane with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Periman moved to 127 blocks in her career, tying Chanel Johnson (2007-09) for fifth on the all-time TU blocks chart.
Crawford remains at 71 3-pointers this season. It's the fifth-most in a single season by a TU player and just 28 off the record of 99 she set last year.
Crawford's 2 points moved her to 1,664 career points. She needs 79 more to pass Taleya Mayberry's (2009-13) 1,742 points for second in Tulsa history.
Crawford stands at No. 5 in the all-time field-goals-made career chart for TU with 570 after recording one on Wednesday, passing Temira Poindexter (2021-24), who had 569 baskets.
Crawford has 307 career assists for ninth all-time. 15 more will help her pass Alexis Gaulden's (2016-20) 321 assists for eighth.
Lastly, Crawford maintains an .815 career free throw percentage, the ninth-best in Tulsa history. She also has the ninth-most free throws under her belt with 269.

The Hurricane will be on the road for the rest of the regular season, taking on Memphis (7-20, 5-11 AAC) on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. and ending the regular season at Wichita State (9-20, 3-13 AAC) on Tuesday, March 4, at 6 p.m.