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Tulane Women's Basketball Season off to Strong Start
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- Tulane Women's Basketball Season off to Strong Start
(Tulane Athletics - Women's Basketball)
The Tulane Green Wave women's basketball program had little trouble getting the season off to a promising start on Monday afternoon.
The Green Wave (1-0) handled the Texas Southern Tigers (0-1) with ease, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back en route to a 92-38 win. The 54-point victory marked the largest margin of victory in a season opener in program history.
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The Olive Green and Sky Blue struck first with a three-point bucket just 16 seconds into the game, and the Wave rolled to a 19-5 advantage by the end of the first quarter. The team would push that lead all the way to 26-5 with 8:34 left, and it maintained steady distance from the opposing Tigers as it entered the locker room up 39-15.
Offense was the theme of the third quarter, with both teams having their highest-scoring frames of the night. Tulane's 28 points vastly outpaced Texas Southern's 13, further boosting the team's 67-28 lead. The Green Wave was able to empty the bench some in the final quarter and give nearly everyone some valuable playing time as it outscored the visiting squad 25-10 and cruised to the win.
Tulane saw a well-rounded performance from both starting players and substitutions, with six players ending the night in double figures. Jayda Brown went an impressive 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the three-point line, as she tallied 17 points and six rebounds. Khadee Hession added 14 points, while Nataliyah Gray had 12 and Asha Sra notched 11 points and a team-high six assists. Kanija Daniel led all players with seven rebounds, and Edina Strausz had three blocks.
A pair of freshmen contributed in massive ways to the opening-night success. Ja'Kyah Smith and Kennedy Simpson added 10 points and six boards apiece, with the former also contributing at team-high three steals and three blocks.
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As a whole, Tulane shot at a clip of 44.6 percent from the floor, including 30.4 percent beyond the arc. The team pulled down 52 rebounds and dished out 27 assists with only 11 turnovers. Most notably, the Green Wave forced 24 turnovers by the Tigers and dominated down low with 11 blocks.
This is the second year in a row that Tulane has won its season opener, and the program has done so in 20 of its last 21 seasons. The Green Wave will look to keep the momentum rolling as it welcomes the Alabama Crimson Tide to Avron B. Fogelman Arena at the Devlin Fieldhouse on Sunday, November 8th. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will air on ESPN2.
