Monday, November 7
Tulane 72, Grambling State 46 – Box Score
SMU 76, Alabama State 39 – Box Score
South Florida 87, Morehead State 40 – Box Score
UCF 72, Winthrop 32 – Box Score
East Carolina 71, South Carolina State 35 – Box Score
Tulsa 82, Alcorn State 33 – Box Score
#7/5 Louisville 87, Cincinnati 68 – Box Score
#24/2 Princeton 67, Temple 49 – Box Score
Louisiana 55, Houston 48 – Box Score
Columbia 77, Memphis 69 – Box Score
Recaps
Tulane 72, Grambling State 46 – Box Score
NEW ORLEANS – The shooting touch from beyond the arc was too hot for the visiting Grambling State Tigers to handle as Tulane University Women's Basketball rolled to a win in its season opener 72-46 Monday inside Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
The Green Wave shot an impressive 56.5 percent from three-point range in the contest knocking down 13 total from downtown. The shooting touch for Tulane was consistent across the floor as the team converted at a 53.1 percent clip for the game.
Marta Galic led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. The six-foot guard also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her second career double-double and her first at Tulane. The next top scorers for the Green Wave were Kyren Whittington and Kahia Warmsley with nine points each followed by Dynah Jones and Kierra Middleton with eight apiece.
Defensively, Tulane held Grambling State to just 30.8 percent shooting from the field and 10.5 percent from downtown. The Wave also forced the Tigers into 15 turnovers.
Tulane came out strong to open the contest putting the first five points on the scoreboard and jumping out to a 9-3 lead just over five minutes into the game. After Grambling pulled with one point with 1:38 left the Green Wave finished the first quarter on a 7-2 run to hold a 19-13 lead.
The second frame began with quick points from Tulane again as Warmsley and Whittington each drained a triple in the opening minute. The Wave turned up the defense in the second quarter as well holding the Tigers to only six points while pouring in 18 on the other end of the floor to hit the locker room up 37-19.
The Green Wave stayed locked in defensively to begin the second half limiting Grambling to 20 percent shooting from the floor in the third quarter. Middleton paced the offense in the frame with eight points as Tulane outscored the Tigers 20-11.
Tulane capped its hot shooting night by adding a couple more three-pointers to the stat sheet in the fourth quarter. Galic ended her impressive performance by knocking down her fifth triple of the night while McKenzie Carter finished off the 72-46 win for the Wave with six points off the bench in final frame.
SMU 76, Alabama State 39 – Box Score
DALLAS – SMU cruised to a 76-39 win over Alabama State on opening night at Moody Coliseum.
Savannah Wilkinson posted a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Chantae Embry led all scorers, with 16 points in her SMU debut.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 20-4 advantage after one quarter. They scored 12 of the first 14 points to grab a double-digit lead. ASU trimmed it to eight on a jumper from Jayla Crawford with 3:58 remaining in period. Paige Bayliss finished in the paint and spurred an 8-0 run to conclude the stanza.
SMU increased its lead to 26 at the intermission, outscoring the Lady Hornets 22-12 in the second period. After converting 4 of 8 from three-point range, the Mustangs converted 9 of 17 from the field, with every attempt inside the arc.
Despite pulling her starters midway through the third quarter, SMU continued to grow its margin over the final 20 minutes of action. They outscored Alabama State 34-27 in the second half, matching their largest margin of victory in seven years. TK Pitts pushed the Mustangs out to their largest gap, at 72-34, when she out-sprinted everyone down the court, turning a steal into an easy deuce.
South Florida 87, Morehead State 40 – Box Score
TAMPA — The University of South Florida women's basketball team tipped off its highly anticipated season on Monday night with a dominating 87-40 win over Morehead State at the Yuengling Center.
The Bulls got a career and game-high 20 points from Florida State transfer and former McDonald's All-American Sammie Puisis while American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Elena Tsineke added 15 points in the win. The duo led a total of four players in double figures that included Carla Brito's 14 points in her collegiate debut and 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu.
South Florida jumped out quickly and never looked back as it led 18-6 after one quarter and 40-8 at the break. The eight points scored by the Eagles are tied for the fourth-fewest points scored in a half in program history. The Bulls lead never got below 32 in the second stanza and led by as many as 50 points in the final minutes of the game.
The Green and Gold showed tremendous balance across the box score with six of the nine players logging 20 or more minutes while eight of the nine players that saw time got into the scoring column.
In addition to the four double-figure scorers, South Florida got solid contributions from its five freshmen, which included Brito. Emma Johansson scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds and Janette Aarnio had eight points and four assists. Daniela Gonzalez and Marina Asensio had five points and five rebounds, and four points and three assists, respectively.
Aerial Wilson had a game-high seven assists while turning the ball over only two times at the point guard position.
The Bulls finished the night hitting 58.5 percent (31-for-53) from the field, including 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from behind the three-point arc. South Florida also held a plus-25 rebounding advantage on the Eagles (45-20)
UCF 72, Winthrop 32 – Box Score
ORLANDO – A flurry of early 3-point shots and stifling first-quarter defense set the tone for a dominant 72-32 Knights victory over Winthrop in head coach Sytia Messer's UCF debut.
After it finished with just 105 made 3-pointers a season ago, marking the third-fewest in the American Athletic Conference, UCF (1-0) drilled three of its first four tries from beyond the arc and 11 total during the contest.
A pair of threes by Rachel Ranke and a third from Laila Jewett helped build an early 11-2 Knights lead with 5:54 to play in the first quarter. Destiny Thomas, who would post her fourth career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds after recording three such games last season, added a layup for her first two points of the game as well.
A UCF team that entered the season with five transfers and three freshmen would yield nothing more the remainder of the period following an Eagles (0-1) free throw with 5:03 on the clock. Ashton Verhulst later drilled the Knights' fourth 3-point shot of the first quarter to send UCF to the end of the frame with a 16-3 lead.
The Knights held the pressure on the Eagles in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Thomas and Bryana Hardy ignited an 11-4 rally that Verhulst capped off with her second triple of the game, and her team's fifth, that launched UCF ahead by a 27-7 score. Hardy's 14 points marked a game-high.
Winthrop inched back into the affairs with an 11-6 run of its own down the stretch, but two more triples by Verhulst and Tiani Abrams helped send the Knights to the locker room holding a comfortable 42-18 advantage at halftime of the first-ever meeting between the schools.
The Knights again produced a suffocating quarter on the defensive end out of the break, holding Winthrop to just two field goals and a pair of free throws, and did not allow a point for the final 5:36 of the quarter. Three more triples courtesy of Abrams and Mya Burns in the fourth quarter would later help secure the Knights' 40-point win.
Abrams, Thomas and Verhulst joined Hardy with double-digit points, tallying 12, 12 and 11, respectively, to help pad UCF's robust scoresheet. The Knights will now look to build on their momentum Thursday evening with a 6 p.m. home tipoff against Mercer.
East Carolina 71, South Carolina State 35 – Box Score
GREENVILLE, - The East Carolina women's basketball team defeated the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs 71-35 on Monday in Minges Coliseum. The season-opening win represents the largest margin of victory for the Pirates since a 41-point trouncing of N.C. Central last season.
The Pirates got off to a hot start Monday, scoring the first nine points of the contest before jumping out to a 15-2 lead. ECU never looked back, taking the first quarter by a 24-9 margin.
Despite a drop in scoring, the Pirates allowed only three points in the entirety of the second quarter, holding South Carolina State to just 1-11 from the field and 0-7 from deep while pushing the margin to 22. Danae McNeal led the way during the dominant opening half, en route to a 14-point, four-rebound, two-steal performance.
The second half was more of the same as the Pirates continued to extend the lead, blowing the game open further with a 27-point third quarter. Still, it was a defensive showcase for East Carolina, forcing turnovers on the Lady Bulldogs' first three possessions of the half to force coach Timothy Eatman to call for timeout.
Leading that defensive effort, Alexsia Rose stole the ball five times as a part of a 20-steal outing for ECU, tied for 10th most in a game in program history. In total, eight Pirates registered a steal, with six tallying multiple takeaways. When they weren't stealing it, ECU was still forcing turnovers, 39 in total, and scoring 40 points off of those turnovers - including 27 fast-break points. 39 turnovers forced is the most since Nov. 8, 2013 agaisnt Virginia Intermont. Graduate forward Tiara Chambers added three blocks to the effort which saw a sub-30 percent shooting clip for South Carolina State. The Lady Bulldogs also shot only one of 19 from deep with the one make being a late-clock banked-in shot.
That's not to say there wasn't offense, though, as the Pirates rolled out a new-look scoring attack. With a more evenly-spread approach, four players scored in double figures: McNeal, Amiya Joyner, Synia Johnson, and Jayla Hearp.
It was a much-awaited debut for the freshman big, Joyner. After a foul-trouble plagued first half, Joyner came alive in the second, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in 18 minutes played.
In all, 13 ECU players saw the court Monday night, with no player recording more than 25-minutes played. 11 players scored and 10 recorded assists, with five recording three helpers.
Tulsa 82, Alcorn State 33 – Box Score
TULSA - Tulsa held Alcorn State to just 16.1 percent shooting from the field and the Golden Hurricane defeated the Lady Braves 82-33 at home Monday.
The Golden Hurricane (1-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Temira Poindexter, who had 16 points. Maddie Bittle added 14 points and four assists and Maya Mayberry helped out with 14 points and five assists.
The Tulsa offense was very productive from three point land, pouring in 13 threes on 38 attempts. Mayberry was the most prolific shooter for the Golden Hurricane, draining four treys in the contest.
The Tulsa defense held Alcorn State shooters to only 16.1 percent from the field, including 0 percent from three-point range. The Lady Braves did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored four second chance points while Tulsa pulled down 41 defensive rebounds.
Tulsa started off strong, putting together a 27-8 lead heading into the second quarter. Tulsa relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 27 points.
The Golden Hurricane used the second period to increase their lead and entered halftime with a 47-17 edge. Tulsa was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 20 points.
After intermission, Tulsa added to its advantage and owned a 69-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Tulsa knocked down four three-pointers in the quarter to score 12 of its 22 total points.
The Golden Hurricane coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory by outscoring the Lady Braves 13-8 in the fourth quarter. Tulsa took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 13 points in the paint.
#7/5 Louisville 87, Cincinnati 68 – Box Score
LOUISVILLE – University of Cincinnati women's basketball fell in the season opener to No. 7/5 Louisville 68-87 at the KFC Yum! Center on Monday night.
Sophomore Braylyn Milton turned in a career-high 28 points on 9-12 from the field and 5-5 from behind the arc in 33 minutes. Milton was one of three Bearcats who finished in double figures as senior Mya Jackson and freshman A'riel Jackson each added 12 in their Cincinnati debuts.
A'riel Jackson, who also pulled in a team-high four rebounds, is the first Bearcat to finish in double figures in her collegiate debut since IImar'I Thomas totaled 19 against East Tennessee State on Nov 10, 2017.
Trailing 28-48 at the break, the Bearcats used an 14-2 run coming out of the locker room to cut the deficit to eight midway through the third quarter. Mya Jackson would end the period with a driving layup in traffic to cap off an 18-12 period for the Bearcats.
Louisville would respond with an 9-0 burst in the fourth quarter that was finished off by an and-one finish in the lane by Mykasa Robinson to extend their lead and secure the eventual final. Cardinals' Hailey Van Lith finished with a team-high 28 points.
The Bearcats finished 9-13 from behind the arc and 23 points off the bench on the night.
#24/25 Princeton 67, Temple 49 – Box Score
PRINCETON – The Temple women’s basketball team fell short in its season opener to No. 24/25 Princeton by a score of 67-49.
Jasha Clinton scored a game-high 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting, while Tiarra East had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Both sides started even in the first quarter with Princeton taking an early 5-4 lead, but Princeton would score the next 13 points to jump out to an 18-4 advantage. TU scored the last five points of the period, with Clinton netting a layup as time expired.
The second frame began going Princeton’s way with the lead growing to 25-10. Denise Solis scored a second chance bucket to spark a run for the Cherry & White as Temple exploded on a 15-3 run to end the half.
East scored the first four points of the second half for the Owls as the two sides kept pace for a majority of the third quarter.
Temple continued to hang with Princeton in the first five minutes of the final frame. Princeton scored the first four points, but the Owls countered with four points of their own. The Tigers began to pull away as time expired, ending the contest on a 16-9 run.
Louisiana 55, Houston 48 – Box Score
LAFAYETTE – The University of Houston women's basketball team fell 55-48 in its season opener Monday at Louisiana in the Cajundome.
Senior Bria Patterson paced Houston (0-1) with her third-career double-double courtesy of 13 points and 10 rebounds with a pair of blocks. Despite finishing with more offensive rebounds (22) than defensive rebounds (21) and out-rebounding the Ragin' Cajuns (1-0) 43-37, the Cougars shot just 23.3 percent from the field.
The Cougars trailed by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before a furious comeback fell short in a final period which saw Houston outscore Louisiana 22-14.
Louisiana went multiple two-minute stretches in the second half without a field goal as Houston utilized diversified ways of scoring to cut the deficit to seven points with 20 seconds remaining.
First half shooting woes put the Cougars in a 15-point hole with 3:30 to go in the second quarter as Houston recorded just 16 percent from the field through that point.
The Cougars' first points came at the 4:02 mark in the first quarter via senior forward Bria Patterson's two free throws. Houston's first field goal came off a jumper by junior guard Laila Blair with 2:51 remaining in the frame.
Back-to-back threes by redshirt senior guard Britney Onyeje and senior De'Myla Brown tied the game at 10-10 before Louisiana finished off the frame on a 6-0 run.
Houston started to hit shots late in the third quarter and to begin the fourth quarter. The Cougars cut the Ragin' Cajuns lead to just 10 points with 7:39 remaining in the game thanks to quick buckets from graduate Tatyana Hill and redshirt senior Tiara Young to open the fourth. A free throw by Blair a few minutes later made it 41-31.
Hill made it an eight-point game with 5:21 to go with an up-and-under layup for her second field goal of the period forcing Louisiana to call timeout.
Columbia 77, Memphis 69 – Box Score
MEMPHIS – The Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team dropped the season opener against Columbia on Monday evening, 77-69.
Madison Griggs led the Tigers with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the field and 4 of 8 from behind the arc. Jamirah Shutes added 17 points for Memphis in the loss.
The Tigers shot 43.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from behind the arc, but were just 6-for-11 form the free throw line.
Memphis had a hot start, outscoring Columbia 18-9 in the first quarter behind 47 percent shooting, while holding Columbia to just 20 percent from the field.
The Lions would come back in the second quarter, shotting 56 percent from the field and outscoring Memphis 23-16 at halftime. Despite the fight from Columbia, the Tigers held a two point halftime lead.
The Tigers would increase their lead to four by the end of the third quarter as the teams continued to battle, but a hot fourth quarter from Columbia would complete the comeback for the Lions. Columbia outscored Memphis 27-15 in the final quarter and shot 60 percent from the field.