Claremore Daily Progress

Sports

March 15, 2013

C-USA WOMEN'S BB TOURNEY: Tulsa advances to semifinals

TULSA MEDIA RELATIONS TULSA MEDIA RELATIONS

TULSA — Guard Taleya Mayberry led a balanced Golden Hurricane attack that saw four players finish in double figures as host and sixth-seeded Tulsa defeated No. 3 seed Tulane, 75-67, in the 2013 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinals on Thursday evening in the Tulsa Convention Center. Tulsa has now won eight of their last 11 games.



"It's fun being the coach at Tulsa right now," Head Coach Matilda Mossman said. "It's fun to coach people like Taleya and Tiffani. We have talked with these guys a lot about leaving a program better than you found it and them leaving a legacy. That game was them wanting to leave a legacy. We had to fight, fight really hard, especially in the first half. Tulane was really, really good. They rebounded like crazy, but we came back out in the second half and fought. This team played with a lot of heart, a lot of passion and played like we wanted to keep playing."



Tulsa's has a 7-6 mark in Conference USA Championship play. Wednesday's first round victory was the first time since 2008 that the Golden Hurricane has advanced in the tournament, and with tonight's win, TU has two wins in the tournament, the second most since going 3-0 and claiming the 2006 tournament title.



Mayberry finished the day with 21 points - 16 of which came in the second half on the strength of a 10-of-12 performance from the free throw line. With the win, Tulsa improves to 15-16 on the year and advances to Friday's semifinal round where the Hurricane will face either East Carolina or Southern Miss. Tulane, meanwhile, fell to 22-8 overall.



As a team, the Golden Hurricane posted a 45.3 field goal percentage (24-of-53) while holding Tulane to a .367 clip (22-of-60). Tulane held a 42-35 rebounding advantage, but the game came down to free throws late where Tulsa hit 23-of-32 (.719).



Kelsee Grovey and Mariah Turner were second to Mayberry in scoring with 11 each, and Kadan Brady finished with 10. Forward Tiffani Couisnard paced the Hurricane with 11 rebounds, her 25th career double-digit rebounding contest and 12th this season. Guard Ashley Clark posted a game-high four steals, and both Grovey and Mayberry handed out a trio of assists.



With her starting assignment tonight, Mayberry ties the most career starts by a Tulsa women's basketball player with 111. The mark was previously set by Jillian Robbins from 2003-07.



Tulsa scored the first five points of the ballgame and held a 12-6 lead 6:05 into the contest. Tulane responded with a 19-3 run over the next 5:14 to take 25-15 advantage and led by as many as 11 at 35-24 and again at 37-26 with 2:58 to play in the half. That, however, would be the Green Wave's final points of the frame as Tulsa went on a 6-0 run to make it a five-point affair at the break.



The Golden Hurricane stretched its scoring run to 10 with the first four points of the second half to cut the Green Wave lead to 37-36. Tulane answered with a 7-0 run to go ahead by eight and Tulsa came right back with a 9-0 run to take a 45-44 lead with 13:03 to play. Tulane went back ahead by a point on a pair of Adesuwa Ebomwonyi free throws, but a jumper by Brady on the ensuing possession gave the Hurricane a 47-46 advantage and they would not trail again.



Brady's bucket sparked an 8-0 Tulsa run and Tulane battled back to tie the game at 57-all with 6:29 remaining on the clock. It was all Golden Hurricane the rest of the way as Tulsa outscored the Green Wave 18-7 to come away with the win.



Guard Olivia Grayson led the Green Wave with a game-high 23 points - including four 3-pointers - while chipping in seven rebounds and five assists. Forward Tiffany Dale posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-best 12 rebounds to go with one blocked shot, and both Danielle Blagg and Brittany McDonald had a pair of steals.

Text Only
Sports
  • DSC_9471web.jpg Howe, Whatley shine at OU Showcase

    Claremore High School seniors Bryce Howe and Matt Whatley caught the eyes of several NCAA Division I and JUCO scouts Friday in Norman.
    Howe and Whatley, as well as Claremore’s Cole Weiesnbach and Cameron Smith, competed with the Bearcats — a competitive baseball team coached by Jenks’ Jeff Owens — at the University of Oklahoma Showcase.

    June 15, 2013 2 Photos

  • DSC_0119web.jpg ‘Staying close to home’

    Home is where the heart is.
    Claremore graduate Isaac Hollihan loves playing baseball and takes his academics pretty serious.
    For the next four years, Hollihan will continue his baseball career a short distance from his Claremore residence at Rogers State University.

    June 13, 2013 2 Photos

  • TRACK: Tyson Gay healthy heading into nationals

    For a little bit, Tyson Gay's first step tearing down the track made him wince and his next made him wonder: Would he ever be the same sprinter again?
    The runner who captured three gold medals at the 2007 world championships. The runner who broke the American 100-meter record in 2009.

    June 18, 2013

  • Texas Longhorns men's track coach retires

    Texas men's track coach Bubba Thornton is retiring after 18 years and 12 conference championships.
    According to a statement from the school on Monday, Thornton and athletic director DeLoss Dodds mutually agreed to terminate the coach's contract effective Aug. 31. The Longhorns won this year's Big 12 indoor and outdoor championships and finished sixth at the NCAA outdoor championships.

    June 18, 2013

  • Daytona frontstretch getting $400M facelift

    Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last.
    Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the "fan experience.''

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK: Rough ice affects play in Game 3

    Teams try to avoid risky plays in the postseason that they might try in the regular season. And when the ice surface isn't smooth, even greater care is necessary.
    Boston took that approach with less-than-ideal ice conditions during its 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks that gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

    June 18, 2013

  • STANLEY CUP: Rask shuts down Blackhawks, Bruins take 2-1 lead

    The puck bounced off the post and rolled across the crease, away from the goal line. The red light flashed briefly, but replays would confirm that Tuukka Rask's shutout streak was intact.
    For the last 122 minutes, 26 seconds of the Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins goalie has prevented Chicago from scoring.

    June 18, 2013

  • New $15M scoreboards planned for Jazz arena

    Owners of EnergySolutions Arena are upgrading the home turf of the Utah Jazz with a new $15 million scoreboard system.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Heat have no room for error versus Spurs in Game 6

    They lost three times in three months in one of the most overpowering stretches the NBA has ever seen.
    Now the Miami Heat have lost three times in five games.
    So superb during the regular season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat have to be something even more for the rest of the NBA Finals.

    June 18, 2013

  • NBA FINALS: Spurs' coach puts 'Pop' into news conferences

    During his team's Game 3 rout of the Heat, Gregg Popovich was shown on TV talking to his players while they were in the process of burying Miami with a stirring offensive display.

    June 18, 2013