Taryn Turnbull hit a three-pointer that started a 9-0 Tulane run, and Fabrecia Roberson hit a crucial free throw with 4.3 seconds left to hold off an LSU rally, as the 24th-ranked Green Wave posted a 76-72 win over the No. 11 Lady Tigers at Fogelman Arena on Friday.
Tulane (11-0) continued its school-record winning streak, posting its 11th consecutive victory to start the season. The Green Wave (No. 24 Associated Press/No. 24 ESPN/USA Today) also improved to 28-3 in non-conference home games under head coach Lisa Stockton. The win was also Tulane’s second over LSU (No. 11 AP/No. 16 ESPN/USA Today) in the last three seasons. LSU, which had a 10-game winning streak snapped with the loss, falls to 10-2. The game drew 3,369 fans, marking the largest home crowd in the history of Tulane women’s basketball.
LSU led by as many as eight points in the second half, before the Green Wave posted a 19-6 run for a five-point lead, 55-50, at the 7:56 mark. Sophomore Salome Hector led the charge with eight of her career-high 10 points and two assists, giving her a hand in 12 of Tulane’s 19 points during the spurt. The Lady Tigers rallied for a one-point lead, 57-56, at the 6:33 mark, and the teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before Turnbull’s three-pointer ignited a 9-0 Green Wave burst for a 74-66 Tulane advantage with 2:27 left to play. From there, however, Tulane missed five straight free throws, allowing LSU to pull to within two, 74-72, with 16 seconds left. After a Daley free throw put the Wave up three, Roberson drew her second charge of the game and hit a free throw with 4.3 seconds left to seal the win.
Daley led all scorers with 31 points, 20 coming in the second half, while also adding nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and a blocked shot in 37 minutes of work. Janell Burse, recorded her third straight double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Roberson added seven points and 10 rebounds. The 5-5 Hector came up big for the Wave, tying her career-high with 10 points and dishing out five assists without a turnover in 22 minutes of action.
LSU connected on 50.0 percent of its shots (29-of-58), while Tulane hit just 39.1 percent (25-of-64), but the Green Wave made up the difference behind the arc, hitting eight three-pointers, while LSU managed just one. Tulane also held a 43-38 edge in rebounding and forced 16 LSU turnovers. Depth was also a problem for LSU, who had three players foul out and got just two points from its bench.
Marie Ferdinand led LSU with 25 points and six assists, while DeTrina White posted 16 points and 13 rebounds. Katrina Hibbert, LSU’s second-leading scorer entering the game, added 13 points, but only two in the second half, when Turnbull held the first-team All-SEC performer to an 0-for-2 shooting performance.
The Lady Tigers did not trail the entire first half, though Tulane rallied from a six-point deficit to knot the score at 8-8. LSU added six straight points before Tulane pulled to within one, 14-13, at the 12:03 mark. But from there, LSU posted an 8-0 run for a nine-point cushion. The Green Wave stayed within striking distance, however, and Britt Themann’s three-pointer cut the LSU lead to two, 34-32, before a Ferdinand jumper gave LSU a 36-32 halftime lead.
Tulane returns to action on Monday, Jan. 3, as the Green Wave begin the Conference USA season by playing host to league rival Southern Mississippi. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena.