After a six-game slide, the Tulane Green Wave women’s basketball team has shown signs of life with back-to-back wins over the University of Memphis Tigers. A month ago, the Wave looked poised for a midseason surge, but the last few weeks have turned into a rough stretch for the squad. 

The slide came at a difficult time in the season, when the conference standings were tightly packed and several teams had the opportunity to make the jump forward. The Green Wave suffered a six-game losing streak and fell from seventh to tenth in the American Conference standings. But with their last two wins, even against the conference’s lowest seed, the team is showing signs of stabilizing. 

The six-game skid exposed major issues with Tulane’s offense. During the stretch, Tulane averaged 18 turnovers per game and shot above 40 percent from the field in just one of the six losses. These struggles put Tulane in early deficits, forcing the team to play from behind and rush possessions late in games. 

After a loss to the East Carolina University Pirates, head coach Ashley Langford said the offensive struggles have been a “consistent theme,” pointing to turnovers, difficulty breaking the press and poor decision-making.

There have been standout performances, but no single player can carry the team alone. 

First-year guard Mecailin Marshall earned American Freshman of the Week honors for Feb. 9 through 15, the fifth time a Tulane University first-year has won the award this season. The rookie scored a career-high 34 points in the loss to East Carolina, the most by a Tulane first-year player in a game since 1999. 

Third-year Kanija Daniel has remained a steady contributor, averaging 11 points a game on the season. The performances highlight a young roster that has shown flashes throughout the season, even as the team has struggled to maintain consistency from game to game.

All 13 teams make it to the American Conference tournament. But if Tulane hopes to make a run, those issues will have to be addressed. The last two games have offered a start, with back-to-back wins and strong performances from first-year Shiloh Kimpson, who nearly recorded a triple-double, and fourth-year lead rebounder Dyllan Hanna. The wins over Memphis may not erase the last month, but they offer Tulane something it has not had in weeks — momentum.