Tulane rode behind a strong effort in the third quarter, outscoring UT Arlington (UTA), 23-8, to gain a 45-36 advantage and a lead they would never surrender, downing the Mavericks by the final of 62-53 in the WNIT First Round in New Orleans.
Kolby Morgan earned her 18
th game with 20 points or more with 20 on 8-of-16 shooting. Leslie Vorpahl also secured double-digits with 13 points, which included a 6-of-7 effort from the free-throw line.
The Olive and Blue held UTA to just three field goals in the quarter, including a stretch of no field goals that lasted eight minutes. Vorpahl ended the run with a buzzer-beating three that gave Tulane a 45-36 lead heading into the fourth.
Later up 53-45 with 2:45 remaining, Tene Thompson, Ksenija Madzarevic and Vorpahl closed out the game on the free-throw line, combing for the last nine points from the charity stripe to seal the 62-53 victory.
Up next, the Green Wave remain home for WNIT second round action when they host Grambling on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m. ET.