Tulane switched defenses and beat Sam Houston 90-51 on Sunday at Fogelman Arena. Tulane won its previous game, against South Alabama, by 33 points (3-1). Sam Houston, picked sixth in the WAC, is 1-3.
Kyren Whittington, a sophomore guard, scored 23 points and 19 against South Alabama. “Changing from man to zone defense made them shoot outside. We desired that.”
The Green Wave will play Northern Iowa and Central Michigan in Cancun, Mexico on Thanksgiving Day and Friday. Tulane will host UNO and LSU in November and December.
Tulane’s Dynah Jones and Marta Galic each scored 20. Tulane completed the second and third quarters with strong runs to take a 25-point lead, 62-37. The wave started fourth with an 11-2 run for a 73-39 lead.
Sam Houston shot 7-of-32 during the game’s blowout. Jones is the only returning starter for coach Lisa Stockton. “I’m satisfied with our shooting, but our defense is good.”
After the first quarter, Tulane shot 58.8% (30-of-51) and 50% (10-of-20) on 3-pointers. Wave has 26 helpers on 36 makes.
The Wave led 39-28 at halftime after a 17-3 second-quarter outburst. Galic sank 3-of-4 3-pointers in the second to finish with 14 points. Whittington’s 11 first-half points kept the Wave close in the opening quarter.
The Green Wave’s run occurred after switching from man-to-man to 2-1-2 zone defense. Man-to-man, Bearkats guards defeated the Wave for drives and offensive rebounds.
Sam Houston, which shot 7-of-14 in the first quarter, blocked Wave shots. Tulane tried more 3-pointers and was 1-of-12 down the line of the first, which ended 18-15. First-quarter Tulane went 1-of-10 on 3-point tries.
