Tulane Green Wave Basketball Falters Late in Road Trip to Missouri
Missouri went on a big run in the fourth quarter to put away the Tulane Green Wave women’s basketball team, 60-52, on Tuesday in Columbia, Mo.
The Tigers (2-2) and the Green Wave (0-2) were locked in a tight contest for three quarters before the Tigers pulled away.
Missouri ended the game on a 12-2 run in the last 6:47 of the game, but didn’t have a field goal in the final 2:41. In spite of that drought, the Green Wave were unable to catch up, in part because they turned the ball over five times in the final 7:20 and finished with 26 turnovers for the contest.
Guard Grace Slaughter led the Tigers with 22 points, including three 3-pointers as the Tigers shot 42% for the game and 36% from the 3-point line. Guard Laniah Randle scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. Forward Angelique Ngalakulondi added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds, as the Tigers and the Green Wave each had 34 rebounds.
After falling behind 17-13 after the first quarter, the Green Wave roared back with a 24-13 second quarter to take a 37-30 lead at halftime.
Sherese Pittman was critical to that comeback as she scored 10 first-half points, including six in the second quarter.
A low-scoring third quarter from both teams kept the game close, as the Tigers outscored the Green Wave, 14-6, to send the contest in the fourth quarter with Mizzou up 44-43.
Tulane’s only double-digit scorer was Pittman, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Amira Mabry added nine points with seven rebounds, as Tulane shot 37% for the game and 24% from the 3-point line.
Victoria Keenan added eight points.
Tulane was coming off a two-point loss to Nicholls, 65-63, on Thursday in its home opener.
Pittman scored 14 points in her Tulane debut, along with four rebounds, a steal and a block. Mabry had 13 points, while preseason all-American Athletic Conference selection Kyren Whittington added 11 points. Dyllan Hanna had 13 rebounds.
The Green Wave were picked 10th in the preseason American Athletic Conference coaches’ poll in the preseason. This is their first season under coach Ashley Langford, a former Tulane player who was hired away from Stony Brook in the offseason.
Langford played four years for Tulane as a point guard and is the program’s career leader with 722 assists, along with holding the program mark for assists per game (6.0).
The Green Wave returns to Devlin Fieldhouse to host Grambling State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
