March 4, 2009
Related Links: Championship Central | Bracket | Tulane Game Notes PDF
Tulane Hosts C-USA Tourney First First Time Since 1999 | Langford, Benzio Earn All-Conference Awards
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane women's basketball team gets ready to defend its home floor as the 2009 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship gets underway Thursday. Sixth-seeded Tulane will face 11-seed Tulsa at 5:30 at Fogelman Arena, which hosts the event for the first time since the 1999 season, a year in which the Green Wave earned one of its four C-USA tournament titles.
The Green Wave (17-13 overall, 9-7 C-USA) and Golden Hurricane (7-21 overall, 3-13 C-USA) just met Saturday in Tulsa, with the Wave pulling out a 64-56 win. Earlier this season at Fogelman, Tulane downed Tulsa, 78-41.
Tulane is 6-1 against its side of the bracket and will have home court advantage, as the Green Wave averaging 70.4 points per game in C-USA games in Fogelman, compared to 55.4 points per contest in road C-USA games. Tulane also faced a tougher home schedule than road, facing C-USA tournament seeds three, five and eight at home, and seeds seven, nine and 10 on the road. Tulane played the remaining seeds both home and away.
The Green Wave defense has held teams to an average of 7.5 points below their C-USA season scoring average, holding 11 of 12 teams under their season averages this season.
Senior guards Ashley Langford and Megan Valicevic will look to extend their home seasons another day. Langford was named Third Team All-Conference USA for the fourth consecutive season Tuesday. Valicevic ranks second on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game.
Tickets for the 2009 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship are available at the Tulane Ticket Office by calling 504-861-WAVE, or at TulaneGreenWave.com. All Sessions passes are $50 for adults, $40 for youth. Single-session tickets are $10 for adults and $10 for youth.
TULANE GAME NOTES
Tulane vs Tulsa
Tulane is 5-3 all-time against Tulsa, having won the last three against the Hurricane. Tulane won both meetings this season: 78-41, at Fogelman Arena and 64-56 in Tulsa.
Tulane in C-USA Tournament
Tulane is hosting the C-USA Championship for the second time. The Green Wave are 3-0 at Fogelman, winning the 1999 championship. Tulane is seeking its fifth C-USA tourney title, taking the crown in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
The Green Wave are 2-1 in the first round all-time.
The 2009 Field
Tulane is 6-1 this season against their half of the C-USA Tournament bracket, with the lone loss coming to UTEP.
Stockon Nears 300th Tulane Win
Head coach Lisa Stockton's next win at Tulane will be her 300th for the school. With 299 wins, she's already the winningest coach in school history. Her overall record is 362-180 including three years at Greensboro College.
Makin' Miscues
Tulane leads C-USA play in turnover margin, and takeaways with 338 forced turnovers (21.2/G). The Wave forced 77 turnovers in the two meetings with Tulsa.
Brit Soars Over Eagles
Brittany Lindsey scored a career-high 31 points in Tulane's win over Southern Miss. Her 14-of-19 field goals were the seventh-most field goals made in Tulane history. She ranks eighth on Tulane's career field goal list at .492 (280-570).
Led By Lindsey
Brittany Lindsey has reached double-figures in scoring in 22 of 30 games this season. She leads the Green Wave in scoring at 12.0 PPG.
Langford's Longevity
Ashley Langford has started 119 straight games, the most starts of any Tulane player ever and one of the top five active start streaks in the nation.
Getting Defensive
Tulane leads C-USA in scoring defense (59.9 PPG in C-USA). The Green Wave held C-USA teams to an average of 7.5 points under their final season scoring average. In 26 of Tulane's 30 games, the Wave have held opponents to 70 points or less in regulation.
Getting More Defensive
In 11 of Tulane's 16 conference games, the Wave have held opponents 61 points or less. Four teams have been held under 52 points. Tulane held C-USA's top shooting team, Southern Miss (.465 entering) to a season-low .354 field goal percentage.
Lifted by Langford
Ashley Langford ranks fifth in school history in steals with 229. Earlier this season, she tied a Tulane record with eight steals against Temple and added seven against UAB.
Forty-Point-Five
Tulane is 16-0 this season when the Green Wave connect on a field goal percentage of 40.5 or higher.
Deuce Hits A Grand
Ashley Langford is 19th on the Green Wave scoring list with 1,035 for her career.
33 For 3
Indira Kaljo's 62 three-pointers made are the fourth-most in a single season, tied with Nikki Luckhurst (07-08). Her .428 three-point percentage (62-of-145) is 14th in the NCAA and would rank first in a single-season at Tulane, and qualify her for Tulane's career-mark as well.
Benzio's Boardin' as Top Rebounding Freshman
Brett Benzio's 9.3 rebounds per game leads all NCAA freshmen. She ranks seventh in C-USA in RPG. She's reached double-figures in rebounding in 15 of 30 games.
Deuce's Dimes
Ashley Langford is the undisputed holder of second place on the C-USA all-time assist list with 706 in 119 games.
Out Shoot `Em
Tulane is 24-3 dating back to last season when connecting at a higher field goal percentage than its opponent, 14-3 this year. Tulane is just 8-24 (3-10 this year) when posting a lower FG percentage (1-0 same).
Next Up: Winner vs Southern Miss Friday
The winner advances to play at 5:30, Friday in the quarterfinals against Southern Miss.
