Jane Asinde delivered a perfect performance as Wichita State beat Tulane 69-61 on Thursday night at Koch Arena.
The Ugandan power forward notched her third double-double in the last four games and ninth of the season as she finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to go with four steals.
Despite a slow start, Asinde went 5-of-7 from the field and 12-of-13 from the line to finish with a team-high 22 points, 16 of which came in the second half. Trajata Colbert scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“We wanted this win very much,” Asinde said in the aftermath. “We played together. We played with confidence,” she added.
Asinde’s Shockers (14-10, 4-7) led from early in the second quarter, built a 13-point halftime and didn’t allow Tulane closer than six points in the fourth quarter.
Colbert took charge of the decisive second quarter as she scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds to help Shockers outscore Tulane 22-11. Wichita held Tulane to 4-of-13 shooting and forced five turnovers in the quarter.
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In the third quarter, the Green Wave got within 5 points (44-39). However, Colbert drew a double team and hit to cutting Asinde for a basket that sparked a 12-5.
The Shockers committed a season-low seven turnovers in the game, limiting opportunities for Tulane (13-11, 3-8) to make a run because they took very good care of the ball.
“Coach always says treat the ball like your phone,” Asinde, who had zero turnovers, said. “We took care of the ball.”
Next up for Wichita is a trip to Greenville, North Carolina to take on East Carolina (16-8, 7-4) on Sunday, February 12. The Shockers lost the first meeting 66-57 with Asinde scoring 8 points to go with 11 boards.
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