Tulane's Teana McKiver scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half leading the Green Wave to a 57-51 upset over No. 19 Florida in the championship game of the Tulane Invitational.
In the consolation game, Creighton defeated McNeese State, 67-49.
Florida led 26-19 at halftime, but Tulane opened the second on a 12-4 run to take its first lead of the game (31-30) with 14:50 remaining.
UF's leading scorer and rebounder Vanessa Hayden picked up her fourth personal foul with 14:00 to go in the game and Lakethia Hampton made the ensuing two free throws as Tulane stretched its lead to three (33-30).
"A lot changed for us in the game when Vanessa Hayden went to the bench," UF head coach Carol Ross said. "McKiver stepped up for Tulane on both ends of the floor. They did a good job of getting the ball inside with Vanessa out and capitalized."
Brandi McCain was the lone Lady Gator to reach double-figures, scoring 18. Hayden, who entered the game averaging 21.3 points and 15 rebounds, was held to just five points and five boards.
After shooting just 27.6% from the floor in the first half, Tulane ripped off a 62.5% accuracy mark in the second stanza, as the Green Wave outscored Florida 38-51 in the final 20 minutes.
The Lady Gators shot just 31.1% from the floor for the game, and a dismal 47.1% (8-for-17) at the free throw line.
UF junior Trish Patterson initially picked up the vacant spot in the post by sparking the Lady Gators with a three-point play to tie the game and ignite a 8-0 run as UF retook a 7-point advantage with 11:30 on the clock.
But Tulane's Teana McKiver scored the first nine points during a game-breaking 18-3 run as the Green Wave charged into a 51-43 lead. During the run the Lady Gators were held without a field goal for a nine-minute span. Brandi McCain finally ended the drought with a jumper from the left side of the floor with 2:15 remaining in the game, but Florida still trailed by four (51-47). Tulane followed with a bucket, but McCain hit one free throw and then nailed a long 3-pointer to pull UF within two (53-51) with 1:11 remaining. Gwen Slaughter hit one free throw for TU to make it a three-point game (54-51).
On UF's next offensive possession, McCain launched a trey but it was off the mark. The teams scrambled for the rebound, but the official couldn't determine which team knocked the ball out of bounds and announced a jump-ball, with the possession for Tulane. The Lady Gators played tough defense, but Cardenas was whistled for a foul with 16 seconds on the shot clock and time began to run out for the Lady Gators.
Florida opened the game with a 9-2 run in the first 3-plus minutes, with four of those points coming from Courtney Cooper. Tulane answered with a pair of field goals to cut the Lady Gator lead down to three (9-6). Brandi McCain then nailed a 3-pointer and Monique Cardenas followed with an offensive rebound put-back that gave UF a 12-point lead with 11:18 left in the half. But the Green Wave countered with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes to pull within four (20-16).
The teams exchanged one free throw before Vanessa Hayden, UF's leading scorer, hit her first field goal of the game with 2:25 remaining in the opening half. McCain followed with her second trey of the period to put UF back in the lead by nine (26-17) with 31 seconds left. Tulane's Kaisha Lymon ended the half with a short jumper, as the Lady Gators took a 26-19 lead into the locker room.
In the first 20 minutes of action, Monique Cardenas already had tied her career-high of 11 rebounds, in addition to adding six points, while McCain led UF with eight points. As a team, Florida shot 36.7% from the floor on 11-of-30, while Tulane struggled with a 27.6% mark on 8-of-29.
Florida returns to action on Thursday, when the team travels to Beaumont, Texas, to play Lamar. The game is a homecoming of sorts for senior Brandi McCain, who is a native of Silsbee, located 15 miles from the university. The contest also is the sixth straight road game for the Lady Gators, who are in the midst of a seven-game stretch away from the O'Connell Center.
END OF REPORT
