Nov. 19, 2006

Final Stats

New Orleans - LSU used a 15-0 run to pull away from Tulane in the second half for a 59-39 win Sunday evening at Fogelman Arena. The Tigers, ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll, hand Tulane its first loss in an early season match-up of unbeaten Louisiana powers.

The Green Wave (2-1) was grinding down LSU for the first 25 minutes, holding the Tigers to just 25 points on 31 percent from the field, before the Tigers (5-0) exploded with a 15-0 run to seize control.

Tulane had no answer in the second half for LSU's junior center Sylvia Fowles, an Honorable Mention All-America selection last season, as she scored 13 of her 21 points in the second half and added 14 rebounds. She also blocked three shots.

Tied 31-31, the Tigers proceeded to hold Tulane to just eight points over the final 14:37, closing the game on a 28-8 run.

Sophomore guard Ashley Langford led Tulane with 10 points, as senior guards Jami Montagnino and D'Aundra Henry each had nine. Langford's five rebounds led the Green Wave, who gave up a 35-22 edge on the glass and a 32-6 margin in the paint.

"We stayed with them for a half, but then it got away," head coach Lisa Stockton said. "The final score really doesn't say what kind of game it was."

Tulane shot just 21.7 percent for the game after the second-half cold stretch, but committed just nine turnovers. The Tigers offense was a tale of two halves, shooting 35.7 percent in the first, but 53.8 percent in the second half.

"In the first half, we came out with a game plan and stuck to it," Langford said. "In the second half, we got rattled when they went on their run and then took quick shots, which wasn't in the game plan."

Tulane held LSU scoreless for the first 4:12 of the game, opening up to a 5-0 lead. The Green Wave took the air out of the ball, holding until the end of the shot clock on their first possessions. But LSU forced back-to-back turnovers, taking a 10-8 lead with 11:01 to go in the first.

A jumper by Jennifer Sands tied the game at 14-14, and after a pair of buckets by the Tigers, Sands tied the game again at 18-18. Ashley Langford's long-range jumper gave the Green Wave a 22-20 lead, but the Tigers took a 23-22 edge into the break after a lay-up by Quianna Chaney.

Montagnino led the Green Wave at the break with nine points, while Fowles paced the Tigers with eight.

In the second half, Ashley Langford knocked down a jumper and then converted a steal and a pair of free throws to stretch the Tulane lead to 28-25. But the Tigers roared back with back-to-back buckets from Fowles. After a triple from the corner by Nikki Luckhurst tied the game at 31, the Tigers then embarked on a 15-0 run and closed the game on a 28-8 surge.

Tulane was held under 40 points for the first time since Charlotte limited the Wave to a 62-38 loss on January 28, 2005.

LSU now leads the all-time series 29-3, and has won five straight over the Wave. The Green Wave's last victory over a ranked team came on December 29, 2002, a 69-50 victory at Fogelman Arena over No. 19 (Coaches)/No. 20 (AP) Boston College 50.

Tulane's stretch of three games in five days continues with Loyola (N.O.) visiting Fogelman Arena Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a doubleheader with the men's team, which also plays Loyola.

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