Photos by Dominic Ceraldi
No. 6 Houston defeated No. 3 Tulane, 65-57, in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tuesday, March 8 at Dickies Arena.
With the win, the Cougars (16-14) will play No. 2 South Florida in the semifinals on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
The Cougars jumped out to an 11-0 lead, including two 3-pointers by Laila Blair and led 19-8 after the first period. In the second, the Green Wave (20-9) came back, closing the second quarter with a 16-6 run to cut the Houston lead to three at 30-27 heading into the break.
Houston opened the second half with a 16-3 run and led by as many as 16. The Green Wave climbed its way back in the game and cut the lead down to two at 53-51 on a 3-pointer by Sierra Cheatham. After the teams traded buckets, the Cougars hit four free throws in a row to push the lead back to eight and put the game out of reach.
Laila Blair led all scorers with 23 points, while Tiara Young (18 points) and Britney Onyeje (10) also reached double figures.
Krystal Freeman led Tulane with 13 points.
Courtesy American Athletic Conference
