TULSA – Sadie Stipanovich scored a career-high and team season-high 20 points, and Saint Louis held off Tulsa 63-58 Wednesday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Stipanovich, who was 8-of-13 from the field, also collected seven rebounds to tie her season high. Jenny Vliet added a career-high 16 points for the Billikens, who evened their record at 3-3 with their second road victory of the season. Vliet's 6-of-9 shooting effort included two 3-pointers.
Erin Nelson had nine points and tied her career high with seven rebounds. Jackie Kemph registered a game-high-tying five assists.
The Billikens shot a season-high 50 percent (24-of-48) from the floor, while Tulsa connected on 52.1 percent (25-of-48). The difference was at the foul line, where SLU was 12-of-17 to Tulsa's 4-of-8.
Ashley Clark led Tulsa (3-4) with 13 points. Mariah Turner – the Golden Hurricane's leading scorer at 17 ppg coming in – was held to 11 points.
Teanna Reid had nine points and five assists, and Kelsee Grovey contributed eight points and seven rebounds.
Neither team could gain separation in the second half after the game went to halftime tied at 29.
Following the fifth tie of the second half, Nelson canned a 3-pointer to put Saint Louis in front 42-39. The Billikens held the upper hand until Reid hit a shot just inside the arc for a 47-46 Tulsa lead.
SLU regained the lead moments later when Denisha Womack turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play. Stipanovich made a layup in between buckets by Clark, and it was 51 apiece at the 4:30 mark.
Stipanovich gave the Bills a 55-51 advantage with a short bank shot and a 15-footer. Tulsa hung around, however, and trailed 59-58 following a Clark basket with 52 seconds left.
Kemph drew a foul on SLU's next possession and sank one of two free throws. Tulsa retained the ball after the rebound on Grovey's 3-point attempt was knocked out of bounds by the Bills, but a flagrant technical on the Golden Hurricane gave Saint Louis two free throws and the ball. Vliet made both from the stripe, and Kemph added a free throw for the final margin.
There were five ties and seven lead changes in the first half. Saint Louis took its first lead, 8-6, on a Kemph drive, and went on top 17-14 when Vliet hit the first of her two 3-pointers.
After Tulsa tied it at 19 on an Ashley Hughes trey, Vliet buried another triple to spark a 9-3 run that gave the Billikens their largest lead, 28-22, at the 3:08 mark. But the Golden Hurricane answered with a 7-1 spurt, punctuated by a 3-pointer at the buzzer, that sent the teams to intermission knotted at 29.
The Billikens host Missouri-St. Louis Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip time at Chaifetz Arena is 2 p.m., a change from the originally announced 7 p.m.
