Jan. 14, 2007
Box Score
DALLAS (SMU) - Despite a career-high 21 points by Mustang freshman Delisha Wills, the SMU women's basketball team could not overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and fell to the visiting Tulane Green Wave Sunday afternoon by the score of 63-58 at Moody Coliseum before a national ESPN2 television audience. With the loss, SMU drops to 11-6 overall (3-2 C-USA) while the Green Wave post their ninth win (in 11 games) and improve to 14-4 overall (3-2 C-USA).
In the first half, SMU got off to a very fast start, building up a nine-point lead (12-3) at the 12:04 mark. But the Green Wave scored the next six points and crawled back to within three points two minutes later. SMU countered with six points of its own and upped the lead back to nine points. Tulane closed out the first half outscoring SMU, 14-5, in the final eight minutes of the half. But the Mustangs went into the intermission with a slim 25-23 lead. Both teams shot poorly in the first 20 minutes (SMU - 32.4%; Tulane - 27%) and each team turned the ball over 13 times.
In the second half, SMU extended its lead to six points at the 16:42 mark (33-27), but Tulane went on another 6-0 run to tie the game. The Green Wave took advantage of Mustang miscues and claimed the lead at the 11:57 mark (38-36), and did not surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs, known for strong free throw shooting, went 13-of-24 from the charity stripe in the second half. SMU found itself down by as many as 10 points (54-44) with just under five minutes left in the game. SMU proceeded to chip away at the lead and got it down to three points (58-55) - thanks to two three-pointers by freshman Jillian Samuels. But the Mustang defense could not contain Tulane as the Green Wave held off the Mustangs for the win.
Wills posted a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds. Janielle Dodds scored 11 points and seven rebounds but got into foul trouble early and could not be as effective in the paint. Sharee Shepherd and Alice Severin each hauled down 10 rebounds. Tulane's D'Aundra Henry was the game's top scorer with 24 points off the bench. Senior Jami Montagnino was held to 11 points and seven rebounds.
SMU begins a three-game road swing next Sunday with a contest at Tulsa. The game will be broadcast on CSTV with the tip-off slated for 1:00 p.m.
