Tulane Women Drop Conference Opener to UTSA, 65-63
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Down two with a couple seconds remaining, the Tulane women’s basketball team had a late opportunity to force overtime Tuesday afternoon in the Convocation Center. The Green Wave’s final attempt was just off, however, and UTSA held on for a 65-63 win in the conference opener for both programs. Tulane moves to 5-8 (0-1) as UTSA pulls to an even .500 at 6-6 (1-0).
The Wave shot better on the day, posting a 43.1 percent clip to UTSA’s 39.7 percent. Threes were almost even with the Roadrunners putting home one more, 9-8. The free throw line proved pivotal as UTSA doubled up Tulane’s foul shots, collecting 10 with the Wave hitting just five. The glass was another turning point, as UTSA outrebounded Tulane 40-26, including a 16-9 advantage on the offensive glass. This led to six more second chance points for the Roadrunners, 14-8. The Wave defense forced 21 turnovers with Tulane committing just 14, but UTSA was able to capitalize on its extra possessions better, securing 16 points off turnovers compared to Tulane’s 10.
Tulane was led by a pair in double figures, with Kanija Daniel’s 12 points topping the squad. She added four boards and four assists, stuffing the stat sheet with a pair of steals and a block. Mecailin Marshall put forth 11 points, adding in three helpers. Kendall Sneed tallied nine points and dished a team-best six assists. She led on the glass as well with six boards, and the sophomore also notched a steal and block. Jayda Brown tallied nine points, and CC Mays netted eight.
A Close 1st Half
After winning the tip, Dyllan Hanna got Tulane on the board first with a layup off a feed from Kanija Daniel. A tone for the day was set early as UTSA tied the contest, which would feature in total 19 lead changes and seven ties. The sides see-sawed early with five-straight Roadrunner points marking a four-point margin. However, Jayda Brown swished a trey to keep Tulane on UTSA’s heels. A Roadrunner three was followed by a tip-in for an 18-12 UTSA lead, but Kendall Sneed put home a triple to chip back into the margin. UTSA led just 18-15 after a quarter.
CC Mays opened the second quarter with a three to tie the contest, and Kayla Hampton’s jumper put Tulane in front. The teams began to jostle for the lead before a dry spell befell both squads in the middle goings. After roughly four minutes of stout defense by both teams, UTSA scored before Mecailin Marshall nixed the bucket with her own. Marshall then tied the contest at 26-all, but the Roadrunners closed the half with a pair of free throws and a three for a 31-26 lead.
Wave Catching Up in the 2nd Half
Daniel kicked the second half off with a three to cut the deficit to 31-29, and Mays followed with her own trey to push Tulane back ahead at 32-31. The teams traded layups and the lead with a second consecutive lay-in by Daniel pushing the Wave up by three. UTSA quickly cashed in a trey to tie the contest, and free throws provided the Roadrunners a lead. The teams traded blows as a Brown triple was offset by another one for UTSA. Marshall hit a three before Brown again connected from distance, but the Tulane lead was short lived as a jumper in the final 20 seconds gave UTSA a 48-47 lead entering the final frame.
Amira Mabry’s layup started off the fourth as the squads went back-and-forth throughout the first half of the quarter. A jumper at the 6:25 mark made the UTSA lead three points. Mabry trimmed the margin to one with free throws, but the Roadrunners hit a three in response. Mabry continued her run of form with a bucket, and a Sneed score later tied the game at 59. UTSA hit a key three, and the teams exchanged layups. Down 64-61, Daniel notched a clutch block with 28 seconds to go, and she added a key steal with 11 seconds on the clock. A foul sent her to the line, where she cashed in both shots to bring Tulane within one, 64-63. UTSA was sent to the stripe with time running thin, and the Roadrunners could only convert once for a two-point lead. Tulane had a final shot as the clock hit zero, but the attempt could not quite connect as UTSA held on for a 65-63 win.
Road Trip Continues
The Wave remains on the road this weekend to continue the opening week of American Conference play. Tulane will take on Wichita State in the first contest of the 2026 calendar year on Saturday, January 3. Tip-off in Wichita, Kansas, is set for 2:00 p.m. with the game streaming on ESPN+ and airing on the radio on WRBH 88.3 FM.
Portions Courtesy of Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.