Tulsa Women Fall On The Road To Old Dominion

The Tulsa women's basketball team dropped a 65-53 decision to Old Dominion on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. TU fell to 10-9 on the season and 4-4 in Conference USA, while ODU moved to 11-12 overall and 4-5 in the league.

"We preach about being in the help position and tonight Stevi Parker was a warrior," coach Matilda Mossman said. "She took six charges, had 12 rebounds and three blocks. She worked hard out there, especially on defense. I am also excited for Kadan Brady, not only for her five three-pointers, but for how she played offensively."

Kadan Brady led the Golden Hurricane with 17 points, all of which came in the first half, while Mariah Turner, Ashley Clark and Stevi Parker each added eight points. Parker pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds, 10 on the defensive side of the ball, had three blocks, and even though it doesn't show up in the stat sheet took six charges in the contest.

TU got off to a rocky start with five turnovers in the first four minutes, four of which were forced, and the Lady Monarchs climbed to a 17-2 lead with 16:02 on the clock. ODU inched ahead to a 22-point advantage (31-9) with 11:56 on the clock, but TU put together a 16-4 run to pull within 10 (35-25) with 4:09 left in the half. The Hurricane then outscored Old Dominion, 6-3, to close out the half trailing by single digits (38-31).

ODU had just two made field goals in the final 8:30 in the first frame and only scored seven points in the final 11:52.

Brady had five three-point buckets in the first half, setting a new career high. She led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 17 points, while Old Dominion had two scorers in double figures – Shae Kelley (13) and Stephanie Gardner (10).

TU shot 37 percent from the field, 50 percent from behind the arc and 72 percent from the charity stripe, while the Lady Monarchs shot 38 percent from the field, 23 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line in the first half.

Tulsa pulled to within six points (42-36) with 16:33 on the clock, but the Monarchs went on a 15-2 run in the next five minutes for a 57-38 advantage. TU closed out the game with a 15-8 run, but couldn't close the gap, falling by a 12-point decision.

ODU had a 46-37 lead in rebounds, an 11-4 advantage in steals, a 14-12 lead in assists and had just 18 turnovers to Tulsa's 23. TU had a 5-2 advantage in blocks.

ODU had 40 points in the paint, 24 points off turnovers and 18 second-chance points, while TU had 24 points in the paint, 13 points off turnovers and just eight second-chance points.

The Lady Monarchs were led by Kelley with 27 points, while Gardner and Chelisa Painter each added 10. Painter recorded a team-best eight rebounds and two blocks, and Becca Allison had three steals.

Both teams finished with a 35.8 field goal percentage, while TU was 33 percent from 3-point range and ODU was just 15 percent. ODU hit 14-of-20 free throws (70 percent) and TU was just 9-of-14 (64 percent).

Tulsa will return to action on Saturdayagainst FAU. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.