Tulsa Standard

Temira Poindexter, Maddie Bittle and Delanie Crawford all scored in double figures to lead Tulsa to a 55-47 win over East Carolina on Friday night at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C.  The Golden Hurricane moved to 11-3 on the season and 1-0 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Pirates fell to 9-5 overall and 0-1 in the league.

 

Poindexter had a team-best 20 points, while Bittle added 13 and a team-high seven rebounds, and Crawford had 12 points.  Ahrray Young had four assists and four steals, while Hadley Periman had four blocks.

 

"I can't say enough about our players and the fight they showed on the road," Head Coach Angie Nelp said.  "We know in conference play every game is going to be tough.  In the second half after we built the lead we went on a scoring drought, but I'm proud of our players because they continued to push on the offensive end and were getting defensive stops."

 

"Maddie Bittle had some incredible catches with contact and had some key plays down the stretch that showed her toughness and her knowledge of what it takes to get that win.  I also love it when Temira has an aggressive mind set and is looking to score and she did that tonight."

 

Tulsa will return to action on Wednesday, January 4 against Wichita State beginning at 6:30 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

 

How it Happened

Delanie Crawford hit back-to-back three's to start the scoring for TU, but ECU pulled to within one (6-5) at the 5:54 mark.  The Golden Hurricane went on an 8-0 run and then climbed to a 12-point lead (19-7) before owning a 19-9 advantage at the end of the frame.

 

ECU cut their deficit to just five (22-17) with 7:18 on the clock in the second quarter, but two free throws and a three-pointer, all by Poindexter, put TU back up by double digits (27-17) with 6:29 to play in the frame.  The Golden Hurricane climbed to a first half best 14-point lead (31-17) but two made layups by the Pirates gave TU a 31-21 advantage at halftime.

 

TU inched ahead to a 17-point lead (41-24) with 4:23 on the clock in the third quarter, but ECU closed out the frame with an 8-2 run to pull to within 11 (43-32) with 10 minutes to play.

 

A made layup by Morgan Moseley to start the fourth quarter pulled the Pirates to within single digits (43-34) for the first time since the 7:00 minute mark of the second quarter.  TU went back up by 14 (48-34), but the Pirates went on a 10-0 run and pulled to within four (48-44) before a jumper by Poindexter with 2:51 stopped the 4:43 scoring drought for the Golden Hurricane.

 

In the final 2:51 off the clock, TU held East Carolina to just three made free throws, while Bittle made three free throws and Poindexter had a layup for the final eight-point win.

 

Game Notes

• Temira Poindexter had a team-best 14 points in the first half, marking the third time she has hit double digits by halftime this season.  Her previous two marks were against Alcorn State (10) and Oral Roberts (13).
• Poindexter's 20 points was her fourth 20+ scoring game this season and eighth of her career.
• Poindexter recorded her 13th double figure scoring game on the season and 31st of her career, while Delanie Crawford had her ninth on the year and 17th overall, and Maddie Bittle had her seventh on the year and 34th in her career.
• Tulsa didn't get called for a foul in the second quarter and at halftime the foul count was just seven total (4 ECU, 3 TU).
• TU shot a solid 43 percent from the field, 46 percent from behind the arc and 80 percent from the line in the first half, while ECU shot just 27 percent from the field, went 0-4 from three-point range and was just 1-of-2 from the line in the first 20 minutes.
• TU ended the game shotting 40 percent from the field, 28 percent from behind the arc and 80 percent from the line, while ECU was 25 percent from the field, nine percent from three-point range and 66 percent from the line.
• After posting 19 points in the first quarter, TU had just 12 in each of the final three frames.  The Golden Hurricane, however, held the Pirates to 12 or less in each of the first three quarters.
• ECU was led by Amiya Joyner with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Morgan Moseley had 10 points.
• TU had a 18-6 lead in fast break points.  ECU had a 26-18 lead in points in the paint, a 12-1 advantage in second change points and an 18-14 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Golden Hurricane played just seven players.

Original source can be found here