NEW ORLEANS -- The Eastern Washington University women's basketball team had three players post 13 points each, but that would not be enough to lift the Eagles to victory, as they dropped a 63-51 decision against Tulane University in the team's first contest of the 21st Annual Tulane Classic.
Eastern had to shake off some rust after an unexpected 10-day layoff due to the cancellation of last Sunday's game at Air Force. The Eagles benefited from the trio of senior Ashli Payne, junior Delaney Hodgins and sophomore Violet Kapri Morrow, as each player scored 13 points apiece to make up 39 of the team's 51 points on the night.
"I thought we really showed some rust tonight after a long layoff," said head coach Wendy Schuller. I was pleased with the first five minutes, but I think that rust caught up with us. We shot it poorly in the second quarter and really dug ourselves a hole. Ashli, Delaney and Kapri all had their moments for us tonight, but overall we didn't play as well as we nedded to against a quality opponent like Tulane."
Eastern opened the game on a 10-2 run, as Hodgins scored eight of the team's first 10 points against the Green Wave. The Eagles would have to withstand a 9-4 spurt by Tulane at the end of the opening quarter to take a 17-15 lead into the second frame.
The Green Wave took the lead at the 9:11 mark of the second, as Leslie Vorpahl's trifecta gave her team an 18-17 advantage. Eastern had to wait until the 4:20 mark to score its first points in the second frame, as freshman Symone Starks brought an end to a 10-0 Green Wave run with a jumper to bring the Eagles within six at 25-19. The host team would double that lead going into the break, as they took a 37-25 advantage into the locker room.
Tulane led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before Eastern would go on a 12-4 run to pull within four at 49-43 with 2:23 left in the third. That would be as close as the Eagles would get for the remainder of the contest, as they Tulane jumped back out to a double-digit lead at 56-45 with 6:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Green Wave would maintain their double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, as they collected the 12-point victory.
Win-Loss Records: Eastern Washington falls to 5-5 on the year, while Tulane improves to 7-4.
What It Means: Tonight's loss marks the second-straight defeat for the Eagles, as they fall back to .500 on the year at 5-5. Eastern is now 3-4 in contests away from Reese Court.
Turning Point: Eastern looked like it was in the midst of a comeback towards the end of the third quarter, as a 12-4 run pulled the Eagles to within four points at 47-43. The run was capped off by a 3-point field goal from redshirt senior Tisha Phillips at the 2:23 mark of the frame.
Tulane would hold Eastern to just two points over the next 7:33 to build a 13-point advantage with 4:50 left to play in the fourth quarter.
Key Stats: Turnovers proved to be costly for EWU on Wednesday (Dec. 21), as Tulane scored 21 points off of 21 Eastern turnovers. The Eagles also struggled from the free throw line, as they shot just 30 percent (3-of-10) from the charity stripe. They entered tonight's game shooting 73.5 percent as a team from the line.
Top Performers: Senior Ashli Payne scored 13 points on Wednesday and went 3-of-6 from behind the arc. She also added six rebounds and two steals.
Junior Delaney Hodgins tallied 13 points and collected a career-best six steals in 34 minutes of action.
Sophomore Violet Kapri Morrow matched her career-best in points with 13. The sophomore went 5-of-8 from the field and added two steals on the defensive end.
Notables: Tonight's 14 steals marks the fourth time in the last six games Eastern has tallied 10-or-more steals.
Junior Delaney Hodgins extends her double-digit scoring streak to 27-straight games with 13 points. Hodgins also collected a career-best six steals on Wednesday night.
Senior Ashli Payne posted her first double-digit scoring contest since Dec. 3 with a 13-point outing against the Green Wave.
Redshirt senior Tisha Phillips flirted with a double-double eight points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Eastern Washington went 8-of-26 from behind the arc on the night. It is the 312th-straight contest the Eagles have hit at least one 3-point field goal.
What's Next: The Eagles will conclude their stay in the 21st Annual Tulane Classic tomorrow afternoon in the consolation game against Drake. Tip-off from New Orleans is set for 1 p.m. PT. The game will not be streamed, but fans can follow along with live stats at www.TulaneGreenWave.com. Live in-game updates will also be provided at @EWUWBB on Twitter.
For more information on the Eastern Washington women's basketball team, follow @EWUWBB on Twitter and Instagram or like EWU Women's Basketball on Facebook.
