Jan. 2, 2006
Box Score
Jillian Robbins scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Tulsa to a 73-54 victory over SMU in the inaugural Conference USA game for both teams in front of 1,176 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla. Monday night.
Tulsa (10-2, 1-0 C-USA) used a 13-5 run to open the second half and turned a six-point halftime lead into a 14-point advantage in a little over five minutes, and the Hurricane led by double figures for the remainder of the game. TU extended its lead to as many as 23 points during the final stages of the contest.
Tulsa set the school record for consecutive wins with its 10th straight victory and has now won 17 out of its last 18 games at the Reynolds Center over the last two seasons.
Robbins set the tone early by controlling the both ends of the floor. She notched a double-double by halftime with 15 points and 12 rebounds and played just 12 minutes in the second half.
SMU used long-range shooting to stay with Tulsa in the opening half of the first period. Sarah Davis nailed three of the Mustangs' five treys to keep pace with TU. The two teams traded the lead 12 times and the contest was tied three different times.
However, with Robbins in control Tulsa took the lead for good when she hit a turn-around jumper in the lane to put TU up 27-25 with 4:24 left in the opening period. Tulsa built a six-point lead in the final minutes, but a three-pointer by Janielle Dodds sliced the deficit to three points. However, Robbins hit a free throw and seconds later followed an offensive rebound with a put-back at the buzzer to give the Hurricane a six-point, 34-28, lead at intermission.
Seniors Emily Jaskowiak and Megan Moody joined Robbins in double figures with 12 points each. Robbins also dished out a game-high five assists. TU shot 42.9 percent for the game and held SMU to just 35.1 percent from the field. The Hurricane also out-rebounded the Mustangs, 51-29.
Junior Chivis Merriweather came off the bench and hit three timely three-pointers in the second half when SMU threatened to make a run and finished with nine points. The Tulsa bench combined for 19 points and played a majority of the second half.
Davis led SMU with 14 points, while Dodds added 13 points. The Mustangs return to action Friday, Jan. 6 when they travel to New Orleans, La. to take on C-USA opponent Tulane. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 PM.
