Women's Hoops Faces Tigers in Memphis Saturday

GAME 29:
Tulsa (15-13, 9-7 AAC) vs. Memphis (7-20, 5-11 AAC)
2:00 p.m. CT - Saturday, March 1, 2025
Elma Roane Fieldhouse (2,565) • Memphis, Tenn.

RADIO: 1300 AM/93.5 FM The Patriot
LIVE STATS: Memphis StatBroadcast
TV: ESPN+
GAME NOTES: Tulsa
GAME NOTES: Memphis
AAC RELEASE: Click Here

THE COACHES:
Tulsa: Angie Nelp (Colorado State '02), 4^th year
Career Record: 74-47
School Record: Same

Memphis: Alex Simmons (Tennessee '08), 2^nd year
Career Record: 110-96
School Record: 20-37

Tulsa's Probable Starters
2          G         Kristol Ayson, 5-8, Sr-TR, Tacoma, Wash., 6.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.4 apg
5          G         Delanie Crawford, 5-11, Sr-3L, Piedmont, Okla., 16.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg
7          G         Paige Bradley, 5-10, RJr-TR, Dallas, Texas, 8.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg
21        G/F      Hadley Periman, 6-2, Jr-2L, Tuttle, Okla., 8.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.0 apg
22        G         Mady Cartwright, 5-10, So-1L, Greenwood, Ark.,10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Memphis' Probable Starters
1          G         Tilly Boler, 6-1, 5th, Meridian, Miss., 17.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
3          G         Elauna Eaton, 6-0, R-Jr, Helena, Ark., 8.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
10        F          Bailey Gilmore, 6-3, R-Fr, Midway, Ga., 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
11        G         Tanyuel Welch, 5-10, R-Fr, Indianapolis, Ind., 10.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
30        F          Alasia Smith, 5-10, 5th, Greensboro, N.C., 11.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.9 apg

The Series with Memphis

Saturday's road tilt at Memphis will be the 29th all-time meeting.
Tulsa leads the series 15-13 with wins in four of the last five meetings.
TU won the previous matchup at home this season on Jan. 25, 64-57.
The Hurricane is 5-8 when facing the Tigers in Memphis, winning the last two.
In the last meeting, Memphis came in with the then-top scoring offense in the league at 70.8 ppg, and the Hurricane held them to just 57 points.
The last five matchups with Memphis:

            01/25/2025.....Tulsa, Okla..................W, 64-57
            12/30/2023.....Memphis, Tenn............W, 71-62
            02/18/2023.....Tulsa, Okla...................L, 44-69
            01/26/2022.....Tulsa, Okla...................W, 80-68
            01/05/2022.....Memphis, Tenn.............W, 72-69

Looking to Tame the Tigers a Second Time

Memphis is currently 10th in league standings with a 5-11 conference mark and a 7-20 overall record.
The Tigers have gone 3-6 since playing Tulsa with wins over UAB, Florida Atlantic and East Carolina, all at home.
Last time out, Memphis fell 91-79 to Temple at home.
Memphis was picked to finish seventh in the AAC Coaches' Preseason poll.
Entering Saturday's contest, the Tigers lead the AAC in scoring offense (69.7) and 3-point percentage (.363) while ranking last in field goal percentage defense (.447), rebound margin (-4.5), scoring defense (78.0), scoring margin (-8.4) and overall winning percentage (.259).
Leading Memphis' leading scoring average is Tilly Boler, who averages 17.0 points per game, the second-highest mark in the AAC. Alasia Smith leads the defense with 8.9 rebounds, 2.33 steals and 1.26 blocks per game.

Trends Over the Last 5 Games

Over Tulsa's last five games, the Hurricane has led the AAC with 9.2 3-pointers per game.
Tulsa has grown steady at the line, averaging the AAC's second-best average at .797.
Mady Cartwright has led the AAC in 3-point percentage at .462 (12-26)
Delanie Crawford has scored in double-figures in four of the last five games and 20+ points in two of them.
Hadley Periman has come away with two or more blocks in four of the last five, peaking with 3 against Tulane (2/19).
Periman's stamina has been proven in the last five games, averaging 38.23 minutes per game, second in the conference.
Cartwright and Crawford have taken turns leading TU in scoring, with Crawford leading in three games and Cartwright leading in two, including last time out.
Four Hurricane rank among the top-15 in the league for steals per game, with Periman leading the way in second (2.6), Crawford in third (2.4), Kristol Ayson in 10th (2.0) and Mady Cartwright tied for 13th (1.8).

Dynamic Crawford Can Do It All

All-American senior guard Delanie Crawford continues to be a scoring leader in the AAC with her 16.75 points-per-game mark, the fourth-best effort in the league.
The multi-level scorer has earned double-digit points in all but four games, peaking with 36 against East Carolina (12/29) in the conference opener, the most scored by an AAC player in a game this year.
She enjoyed her 25th career 20+ scoring game with 22 points at UAB (2/22).
This season, Crawford is averaging 5.9 FG, 2.5 3PT and 2.5 FT per game.
She's shooting .375 from the field (164-437), .321 in threes (71-221) and .864 at the charity stripe (70-81) - currently the 12th-best single-season average in team history.
Crawford is also first in the AAC for field goal attempts (437), 3-point attempts (221) and free throw percentage (.864) and second for points (469) and treys (71).
Her 221 total 3-point attempts are the fifth-most in Division I.
She has also been one of Tulsa's most prominent rebounders and assisters. Crawford is second on the team with 155 total rebounds, ranking only behind teammate Hadley Periman with a 5.5 average per game - 18th in the AAC.
Crawford also leads the team in assists with 67 (2.4 apg). Tulsa is 5-2 when she records four or more in a game.
She's earned four AAC Weekly Honorable Mention nods this season. The latest came on Monday, Feb. 24, after she led TU to wins over Tulane (2/19) and UAB (2/22) with 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and the game-winning free throws against the Blazers in overtime.
Crawford dropped 36 points on East Carolina (12/29) on a 14-20 clip from the field, 3-7 from three and 5-5 at the line, earning her second career AAC Player of the Week award and first of the season.
Crawford's led Tulsa in scoring 17 times this season and paced the Hurricane in assists nine times, steals eight times and rebounds seven times.

Periman Scores, Boards and Blocks

Junior guard/forward Hadley Periman's game has grown tremendously, averaging 3.0 ppg/7.2 rpg/1.6 apg a year ago to 8.3 ppg/8.6 rpg/2.0 apg today.
Despite missing three nonconference games with injury, Periman is still the Hurricane's top rebounder with 215 boards, the league's seventh-highest total to go with the fifth-best average (8.6) this season.
She has 602 career rebounds with a career rate of 6.69 per game, marking the eighth-best average among all active players in the AAC.
Periman also blocks the ball better than everyone in the conference this season with a league-highs of 46 rejections at 1.84 per contest. She's the only AAC player with more than 40 block.
She ranks fifth in TU history with 127 career rejections and ninth with 602 boards.
Her 17 rebounds against FAU (1/15) is tied for the fourth-most in a game by an AAC player so far this season.
Periman has led TU in rebounding 18 times, all in the last 21 games. She's also led the Hurricane in blocking for 21 games this season.
She has seven double-doubles this season, including a 20-point, 11 board game against Kansas City (12/15) - her first and only career 20+ point game.
She added her seventh double-double last time out against UAB (2/22) with 10 points and 14 boards.
Tulsa is 6-1 when Periman records a double-double.
Seven double-doubles ties for the fifth-most among all AAC players this year.
Periman was two assists shy of a triple-double against Charlotte (1/8), finishing with 16 points, 15 boards, eight assists, three assists and two blocks, leading TU in the latter four categories.
She's currently tied with Ashley Clark (7, 32 games) for the 10th-most double-doubles in the a singles season for Tulsa.
Periman's stamina has also grown, averaging 32.16 minutes per game.
She played all 45 minutes against UAB (2/22).

Tidbits on the TCU Transfer Paige Bradley

Redshirt junior Paige Bradley, an offseason transfer from TCU, has made an immediate impact for the Hurricane with 23 starts in 24 games played.
She came to Tulsa with only three double-digit scoring games in her career. She has eight this season.
Bradley is fourth on TU for rebounds (104) and third for boards per game (4.3).
Bradley averages 8.3 points, the Hurricane's fourth-best mark.
Bradley had her first double-figure scoring game for Tulsa against Marshall (11/23) in the WBCA Showcase. She also brought down a career-high 10 rebounds, helping her achieve her first career double-double.
The Hurricane is 5-2 when Bradley records five or more field goals.
Bradley earned her first career AAC Weekly Honorable Mention after averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 boards in wins over San Jose State and UMKC.
She missed four conference games for TU for a medical decision and returned to action against Charlotte (2/5).
Bradley hit a perfect 4-for-4 clip from 3-point range against ECU (2/8) for TU's fourth-ever perfect 3-point shooting game with a minimum of four attempts.

Cartwright the Swiss Army Knife

Mady Cartwright, a sophomore guard, shines on both offense and defense.
She is one of two players to start every game this season for TU (Crawford).
Cartwright is seventh in the American Athletic Conference with a .741 free throw percentage (80-108).
Cartwright shot a perfect 8-8 game at the line against Marshall (11/23) for TU's 14th all-time perfect free throw game of over eight attempts.
She has reached double-digit scoring in 13 games this season.
On offense, Cartwright leads the team for free throws (80) and free throw attempts (108), ranks second for points (281) and third for scoring (10.0).
On the defensive end, Cartwright is third on the second for steals (41) and third for total boards (107) and fourth for rebounds per game (3.8).
Cartwright had her first career double-double against San Jose State (12/10) with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Spartans.
She had her first 20+ point game against Charlotte (1/8) with 21 points.
She enjoyed her second 20+ point game in a home win over Tulane (2/19) with 23 points, a new career-high.
Tulsa is 8-4 this season when Cartwright steals the ball two or more times in a game and 8-3 when assisting on three or more field goals.

Ayson Adds Speed and Versatility

Kristol Ayson, a senior transfer from Jacksonville State and Arizona Western, has played in all 28 games with five starts in the last six games.
Ayson has hit three or more assists in 14 games, with a season-best of five assists against San Jose State (12/10).
Tulsa is 9-5 when she records three or more assists in a game.
She had a 13-point game against Oral Roberts, 14 points against Rice (1/25) and a season-high 15 points in her first start for the Hurricane against Charlotte (2/5).
Ayson's scored in double-figures in four of the last six games.
She's third on TU with 40 steals at 1.4 per contest.
Ayson has led TU in steals eight times, assists five times and points twice.
She came to Tulsa after leading Jax State with 8.1 points, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while securing 3.7 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per contest.
At Arizona Western, a junior college, Ayson recorded three double-doubles and 34 double-digits scoring games across two seasons. She was an NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention as a sophomore.

Rolling Hill Continues to Succeed on the Floor

Sophomore guard Elise Hill has scored in double-figures in 13 of 22 games played this season and in 15 of her last 25 games for the Hurricane dating back to the end of her freshman season last year.
She has scored 10 points once this year, 12 points on four occasions, 13 points against Marshall (11/23), 14 against Memphis (1/25), 15 against the league's toughest defense in UTSA (1/4), 16 against FAU (1/15), 18 against Grambling (12/5), 20 at home against Wichita State (2/1) and a career-best 22 at North Texas (1/1).
Hill called her own number in the waning seconds of the season-opener against UAPB, sinking the game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second to go to seal the 63-60 win.
She went 8-of-14 with six treys for 22 points vs. UNT. It was the seventh-most threes in a game by a TU player.
Hill had another strong 3-point game against Wichita State (2/1), going 5-13 from deep.
She has also recorded 5+ assists four times this year.
Hill also thrives on defense, using her quickness and speed to steal the ball 31 times this season.
Hill stole the ball from ECU (12/29) eight times for Tulsa's second-highest effort in team history, spanning both nonconference and conference play.
She grabbed her first career AAC Weekly Honorable Mention award after she scored a team-leading 18 points with five assists and six rebounds in the win over Grambling (12/5).
Hill has led Tulsa in steals seven times and points and assists six times.
She's missed the last six games for a medical decision.

Nelp Becomes Third-Winningest Coach in Program History

Head Coach Angie Nelp earned her 73^rd win for the Golden Hurricane at UAB (2/22) in a 72-68 overtime comeback thriller, surpassing Charlene Thomas-Swinson's (2005-11) 72 wins for third on the all-time TU coach wins list.
Nelp won her 70th contest with the Hurricane in a 56-42 home win over Wichita State (2/1).
She is currently 74-47 after 28 games in her fourth season.
No previous Tulsa coach had reached 70 wins in just their fourth season.
Only three other TU head coaches won more than 70 games in their careers.
Nelp needs 18 more to pass Kathy McConnell-Miller's (1999-05) 91 wins for second.
Nelp is the only coach in program history to earn 10+ home wins in three straight seasons.

Hurricane Sets Program Comeback Record at UAB

Tulsa enjoyed its largest comeback in program history last time out against UAB (2/22), erasing a 20-point deficit to win in over time, 72-68.
TU was down 36-16 with nine minutes left in the third quarter before chipping away at the gap and eventually earning its first lead in the game off a Delanie Crawford 3-pointer with less than a minute to play in regulation.
Saturday's 20-point comeback breaks Tulsa's previous school record by three points, which was a 17-point deficit erasure in this year's season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The win ties for 28th on the all-time NCAA largest comeback wins list (as of Jan. 12, 2025).

We Share Because We Care

Tulsa has been a top three assisting team in the AAC since the Temple game.
Currently, the Hurricane is third in the league for assists per game at 14.50 with no single player averaging more than 2.4 per contest.
TU has assisted 406 of 678 field goals this season at a rate of 60%.
Tulsa has five games with 20+ assists and nine games with 18+ assists.
The Hurricane's 25 assists against Kansas City (12/15) is the most by an AAC team in a single game.
Tulsa is 4-1 when recording 20 or more assists.

Hurricane Defense is Surging

Over the past five games (since Feb. 8), Tulsa has held opponents to a 62.80 scoring average over that span, including holding the then-top scoring offense in North Texas (69.9 ppg) to 61 points.
Tulsa held Tulane (2/19) to 54 points and Charlotte (2/5) to just 53 points. Before that, the Hurricane held Wichita State to 42 points, a season-low by a TU opponent.
Tulsa is first in the AAC at 12.80 steals-per-game average in the last five.
14 steals helped the Hurricane turn the tide on UAB (2/22) and earn a 20-point comeback win.
The only team to score 65+ points in regulation against Tulsa in the last 11 games was East Carolina (2/8).

Women's Hoops Faces Tigers in Memphis Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kristol Ayson

Paige Bradley

Mady Cartwright

Delanie Crawford

Elise Hill

Hadley Periman

Women's Hoops Faces Tigers in Memphis Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kristol Ayson

Paige Bradley

Mady Cartwright

Delanie Crawford

Elise Hill

Hadley Periman

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