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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Guard Kolby Morgan scored a game-high 23 points and had a team-high seven rebounds to lead Tulane to a 70-64 win against Memphis Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Saturday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The No. 5-seeded Green Wave (21-10) advances to face the winner of Saturday’s second quarterfinal matchup between UConn and East Carolina (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU). It will be the second straight appearance in the semifinals for Tulane, which fell to USF in last year’s semifinal round.
Morgan was 9-of-18 from the field to lead a balanced Tulane lineup that had nine players score at least four points. Tierra Jones scored 10 points, while Chinwe Duru scored eight.
Tulane pulled away in what was a tied game with 1:31 left by going 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the home stretch. The Green Wave went without field goal for the final 4:02, but Tulane was able to draw four trips to the stripe to break the tie. Duru capped an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws with six seconds left to give the Green Wave a 70-62 lead.
Tulane held an eight-point lead after the first quarter, but Memphis rallied to take a 32-30 lead into halftime on the strength of a 20-10 second-quarter advantage. The Tigers led by as many as eight in the third quarter, when Ariel Hearn’s driving layup gave the Tigers a 42-36 lead.
Tulane chipped away late in the third quarter and gained a 51-49 lead on Harlyn Wyatt’s layup with 32 second left in the period. The Green Wave never trailed in the fourth quarter on its way to its 21st win of the season.
Hearn finished with 17 points for Memphis, which fell to 18-12 on the year. Brianna Wright added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.