Nov. 13, 2007

Box Score

Tulane-Georgia Tech Game Book in PDF Format

NEW ORLEANS - In a battle of teams receiving votes in the Top 25, the Tulane women's basketball team dropped its home opener, 66-61, to Georgia Tech Tuesday at Fogelman Arena.

On a night when the Tulane Green Wave (1-1) raised its Conference USA regular season championship banner and celebrated its WNIT berth from last season, it was the Yellow Jackets - an NCAA team a year ago - which used the press to halt Tulane's transition offense.

Senior guard Nikki Luckhurst and junior point guard Ashley Langford each scored 16 points to lead Tulane. Langford also handed out six assists, while redshirt freshman Brittany Lindsey added 12 points and six rebounds while fighting foul trouble.

Georgia Tech's Chioma Nnamaka led all players with 28 points while adding seven rebounds. Janie Mitchell recorded a double-double for the Yellow Jackets with 21 points and 12 rebounds, as she shot 10-for-17 from the field. The Yellow Jackets improve to 2-0 on the season.

Tulane trailed early to the Yellow Jackets 12-11 as Nnamaka and the Wave's Luckhurst traded three-pointers, but Georgia Tech embarked on a 9-0 run.

Luckhurst and Valicevic scored back-to-back buckets, and Kiara Slaton added her first career points on a pair of free throws to pull the Wave to within 21-20. But Nnamaka led Georgia Tech on an 11-0 run, draining a trio of three-pointers from the corner.

Before the half, Luckhurst hit her third three-pointer of the half as the Wave cut the deficit to 32-25 at the break. The Yellow Jackets used a high-pressure defense to hold Tulane to just 35.7 percent shooting, and just four second-chance points. Georgia Tech out-rebounded Tulane 20-11 in the first half. Nnamaka's 15 points led Georgia Tech at intermission, while Luckhurst connected at on four-of-nine for a team-high 11 points.

Valicevic opened the second-half with a jumper from the wing, and Luckhurst found Lindsey over the press for a lay-up as Tulane. Luckhurst drained a three-pointer with the shot-clock winding down as Tulane clawed back to 40-38. But Nnamaka, fouled on a three-pointer, converted a four-point play to push the margin back to six with 13:38 to go.

Langford went underneath the basket for a reverse lay-up while being fouled, and Chassity Brown drove the lane, but the Wave could pull no closer than three until Kendra Barnes brought Tulane to within 48-47 with a lay-up in transition.

But again, Georgia Tech answered, keeping the Wave at arm's length on an `and-one' opportunity by Mitchell. The Yellow Jackets opened out to a seven-point margin on a pair of free throws following a double-foul situation. Kendra Barnes was fouled hard going to the basket, but the Wave were also assessed a technical foul as the two teams came together underneath the basket.

Tulane held Georgia Tech scoreless for from the 5:10 mark until a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left, but Tulane could only muster three points in that span. A bucket inside by Lindsey cut the deficit to 61-57 with 34 seconds to go.But Georgia Tech knocked down five-of-six free throws to take the game by the margin of 66-61.

The Green Wave had won seven-straight at Fogelman Arena, dating back to a January 7 loss to Rice last season.

Tulane forced 19 turnovers, but recorded only one steal in the game.

Tulane is back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. at Stephen F. Austin in Nagadoches, Texas. Tulane returns home to Fogelman Arena on Sunday for a 4 p.m. tilt against Winthrop.