Tulane Women Use a Smothering Defense to Dump Temple, 71-58
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With a fourth-quarter surge Tuesday night in the Liacouras Center, the Tulane women’s basketball team defeated the Temple Owls 71-58 and staved off a late comeback attempt. The Green Wave improves to 7-10 (2-3 American) as the Owls drop to 7-9 (1-3 American).
The Tulane offense exceeded the output of Temple, as the Wave shot 44.4 percent overall and knocked down eight threes at a 38.1 percent clip. The Owls hit at a 32.1 percent rate and converted five triples at a 21.7 percent mark. Tulane won the glass 39-31, and despite offensive rebounding being even at 14 apiece, the Wave held a 17-13 edge in second chance points. Tulane exhibited excellent ball movement as 17 of the 24 made field goals were assisted.
Three in Double Digits, Dyllan Hanna Eclipses 500 Career Boards
A trio led Tulane in double figures tonight with Kanija Daniel’s 19 points topping the squad. She added a career-high seven rebounds alongside two blocks, a steal, and an assist. Mecailin Marshall posted 17 points with a pair of helpers and four boards. Shiloh Kimpson reached double-digits for the first time in her young career as the freshman recorded 11 points. She dished two assists. Amira Mabry barely missed double figures with nine points. Dyllan Hanna led on the glass with 10 rebounds, eclipsing the 500 rebounds marker for her career. Kendall Sneed dished seven assists to pace the squad. She has dished at least six helpers in four of the five conference games thus far.
TU Sizzles in the 1st Stanza
Tulane got on the board first with a three by Kendall Sneed. Temple pulled within a point, but Kanija Daniel put home a layup followed by a Mecailin Marshall jumper. The Owls chipped away and pulled level at nine apiece, but Jordyn Weaver connected from deep to push the Wave back in front. Temple stayed close, but Shiloh Kimpson’s score kept some distance between the foes. Daniel added a score before Marshall buried a trey. A Temple layup in the final minute shaved the Wave lead to 24-15 after a quarter.
Defenses were stout to begin the second frame as the first bucket was scored by the Owls at the 7:26 mark. Tulane first scored in a big way with 4:08 on the clock when Kimpson converted a three-point play. Daniel then put home four points in a row, but seven consecutive Temple points brought the Owls back to within 31-27. Dyllan Hanna’s tip-in closed the half with Tulane leading 33-27.
Temple opened the second half with a layup, but Marshall connected from beyond the arc. After trading some blows, the Owls collected five-straight points to pull within three points. A Daniel jumper kept Temple at arm’s length, but a six-point run allowed the Owls to tie the game at 41-41. Marshall regained the lead with a jumper, but free throws for the Owls again tied the game. After Kimpson’s bucket, three Temple foul shots provided the Owls their first and only lead of the game. It lasted for 12 seconds as Daniel scored to spark a five-point run that closed the quarter with Tulane ahead 50-46.
Threes Finally Falling for Wave
The final frame started with a Temple free throw, and the defenses again held firm. Tulane broke through at the 7:01 mark with a three from Amira Mabry, which opened the flood gates for the Wave. After a Temple layup, Daniel popped from distance. The sides traded scores before Hanna and Mabry hit back-to-back inside scores. After a Temple bucket, Marshall hit a three as Tulane pulled away in the final minute, closing the contest at the charity stripe. When the dust settled, Tulane walked away with a 71-58 triumph.
Tulane returns home this weekend to host UAB on Saturday, January 17. Tip-off at Avron B. Fogelman Arena is set for 2:00 p.m. with the contest streaming on ESPN+.
Portions Courtesy 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.