Tulsa Battles Hard in Senior Day Loss to East Carolina

Saturday, March 7

Tulsa, Okla.

2:00 p.m.

Tulsa

19-11,11-7American

East Carolina

22-9,14-4American

East Carolina

Tulsa

Tulsa Battles Hard in Senior Day Loss to East Carolina

3/7/2026 6:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa (19-11, 11-7 American) fell to East Carolina (22-9, 14-4 American), 76-61, Saturday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Despite the Senior Day loss, the Golden Hurricane have much to celebrate after a 19-win regular season, 11 American Conference wins and a 12-3 home record, which goes down as the second-winningest home mark in program history.

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Tulsa looks ahead to the end-of-the-year American Conference awards on Monday and their quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, March 12, at 12:00 p.m. between either No. 5 North Texas, No. 8 Charlotte or No. Florida Atlantic in the American Championship.

Junior guard Jade Clack stepped up bigtime for TU, leading the floor with 20 points off six drained field goals and 7/9 free throws made. Redshirt senior Hannah Riddick picked up 13 points and was one of three players to lead Tulsa with six rebounds. She and redshirt senior Shamaryah Duncan were honored before the game in TU's Senior Day celebration.

Meanwhile, junior guard Mady Cartwright finished with nine points and a team-high four steals, while freshman Dora Toman produced five assists.

"I'm so proud of his team," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "I'm so proud of our grit. I'm proud of our heart. I'm proud of our fight, and I'm proud of our togetherness. We faced a lot of adversity, and a lot of challenges, and I think that those moments are going to help make us a better team, and the way we respond to those moments as a team is really going to determine what we do in that next step.

"I wish we had taken better care of the ball. We needed to kind of win some of those possessions back that we gave away. I also felt like we've got to do a better job of just defending, without fouling. But I cannot say enough about the growth of this team that we have had during our conference season, and the steps that we have taken. Although this result isn't exactly what we wanted, it is another learning opportunity. Another learning opportunity we're going to have as a team is to make sure that we respond the right way heading into the tournament."

The first quarter began with Tulsa taking an early lead following layups from Cartwright and Toman, putting them up 4-0. Kennedy Fauntleroy responded for the Pirates with a layup at 7:17 to cut the deficit. Despite a series of turnovers and missed shots, Tulsa maintained a narrow lead until Taylor Barner's free throws at 1:39 gave the Pirates a 15-14 edge. A three-pointer by Fauntleroy and a jumper by Olivia Hilliard in the final minute extended the visitors' lead. The quarter concluded with Mildred Dibua's free throw, leaving Tulsa trailing 22-14.

The second quarter featured a tightly contested battle, with Tulsa scoring 18 points to ECU's 17. Fauntleroy opened the scoring with a jumper at 9:53, extending the Pirates' lead. Clack responded for Tulsa with consecutive free throws, contributing to her quarter total of seven points, including a layup at 5:05. Toman's defensive efforts were highlighted by a steal early on and securing a defensive rebound in the final seconds, which led to her last-minute free throw, narrowing the gap to seven points as the quarter concluded.

In the third quarter, East Carolina extended its lead over the Golden Hurricane with a strong performance, outscoring them 23-11. Anzhane' Hutton was instrumental, scoring two 3-pointers early in the quarter, contributing to a 9-4 run that set the tone. Hannah Riddick responded for Tulsa with two layups and a free throw, bringing some momentum, but it was not enough to overcome the Pirates' offensive push. Fauntleroy added crucial points with a jumper at 00:48, capping off ECU's strong third-quarter performance.

In the final quarter, Tulsa outscored ECU 18-14, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Clack contributed significantly for the Golden Hurricane, scoring a fast-break layup at 8:54 and later adding a three-pointer with just 52 seconds remaining. Cartwright added to Tulsa's efforts with a layup at 3:24. East Carolina maintained their lead, bolstered by Savannah Brooks' three-pointer at 1:07 and consistent free-throw shooting down the stretch. Despite Tulsa's defensive efforts, including four steals, the Pirates managed to hold on for the win.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Jade Clack
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- 20 points
- 7/9 free throws made
- 6 rebounds

Hannah Riddick
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- 13 points
- 6/12 field goals made
- 6 rebounds

Mady Cartwright
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- 9 points
- 4 steals

Dora Toman
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- 5 assists
- 6 rebounds
- 2 steals

East Carolina's Top Performers
Kennedy Fauntleroy
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- 17 points
- 8 assists
- 2 blocks
- 2 steals

Keanna Rembert
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- 14 points
- 6/8 free throws made
- 7 rebounds

Taylor Barner
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- 13 points
- 4/4 free throws made
- 1 steal

Anzhane' Hutton
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- 10 points
- 5 rebounds
- 2 steals

Game Notes:
- The all-time series between Tulsa and East Carolina is now tied at 17-17.
- The Pirates have won five of the last six matchups. Tulsa dropped their first home contest to East Carolina since 2019.
- The Golden Hurricane finishes with a 12-3 home record, tied for the second-best mark at home in program history.
- Even with the loss, Tulsa is 23-7 at home since the start of last season, 38-9 since 2023-24, 49-13 since 2022-23, and 57-18 through five seasons of Angie Nelp at the helm.
- Clack led all players on the floor with 20 points, which stands as her second 20+ point game, 15th double-figure scoring contest, and 18th career double-digit point performance.
- Riddick finished with 13 points for her 21st game in double-figures this year and 38th of her career.

GET TICKETS TO THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Ticket sales are live for the 2026 American Conference Women's Basketball Championship, which will run from March 10-14 at Legacy Arena in the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Ala. Fans can purchase tickets ahead of time by CLICKING HERE.

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