Late Comeback Not Enough For Tulsa Women

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – A late comeback came up short for the Tulsa women's basketball team Monday in a 64-61 loss to BYU.

The teams played close for most of the first half, and BYU carried a 28-27 lead into halftime. But the Cougars widened that lead by outscoring Tulsa 21-12 to start the second half to take the game's first double-digit lead.

BYU eventually extended that lead to 12 points – the largest of the night – with less than five minutes remaining, but the Golden Hurricane did not go quietly.

TU responded with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to just two points with two minutes remaining, and then tied the game with a jumper from Taylor Hooker with 39 seconds left.

The game looked liked it would be head to overtime, but BYU's Haley Steed sank a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to retake the lead. Taleya Mayberry missed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer on the next possession, sealing the Hurricane's fate.

Steed's clutch 3-pointer was her sixth of the night, and she led all scorers with 24 points. Stephanie Rovetti added 12 points and was the only other BYU players to score in double figures.

Hooker led Tulsa with 16 points and Mayberry added 11, but the two combined to shoot just 9-of-27 from the field. The Hurricane as a team shot 38 percent on the night, and shot just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half.

The Hurricane now has lost its first two games of the season, but by a total of just seven points. TU will try to notch its first win when it goes on the road to face Colorado State at 8 p.m. Thursday.