At the beginning of the 2018-19 season, the women’s basketball team fought their way to a 13-3 record, the team’s best start to a season since 2014. Riding a six-game winning streak, the Green Wave commenced conference play by taking down Temple University, East Carolina University and Southern Methodist University.

Tulane was looking unstoppable heading into their toughest matchup so far, hosting No. 2 University of Connecticut Huskies on Jan. 16, however, UConn proved to be a formidable opponent, bringing the Green Wave’s streak to an end. Husky guard Megan Walker contributed to the crushing 42-point victory, scoring 34 points and becoming the first Division I player to outscore an entire team in a conference game since 2002.

Despite best efforts, Tulane only managed to score four points in the first quarter and continued to trail UConn for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, Tulane does not have a redemptive game scheduled against the Huskies this season, but the Green Wave could potentially battle UConn again in the AAC tournament.

Looking to bounce back from their first loss, the team traveled to Tampa to take on the University of South Florida. Throughout the game, the Green Wave struggled to guard the perimeter, and USF took advantage by shooting a scorching 9-21 from 3-point range, causing Tulane to suffer their second consecutive blowout loss. Though most of the team failed to reach double digits, sophomore forward Krystal Freeman was on top of her game with a strong 17 point performance.

Freeman’s performance this year has certainly been stellar. Since joining the starting lineup in the fall, Freeman has been the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, averaging 13 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. She dominated earlier this month against ECU, again earning the Green Wave 17 points along with 20 rebounds. Freeman could be an important component of future wins.

After two difficult games in a four-day span, the Green Wave will be glad to have a full week off before hosting Wichita State University this Saturday, 2 p.m. at Avron B. Fogelman Arena at Devlin Fieldhouse. While the 13-3 start to the season is promising, the Green Wave must right the ship before their tournament chances slip away.

FB Caption: After an impressive beginning to conference play, the women’s basketball team failed to keep the momentum going this week. Read to find out where they stand now.