TULSA, Okla. – Northwestern State could not keep pace with the blistering pace and shooting of Tulsa in a 96-64 loss on Monday night. 
 
The Hurricanes (9-3) made four straight field goals in the first two minutes of the game, including back-to-back 3s, and finished the quarter shooting 65 percent (11-17) to jump out to a comfortable lead in which they would not look back on.
 
The Lady Demons (4-6) got the opening tip and the opening points of the game when Candice Parramore converted a pair of free throws after being fouled on the game's first shot attempt. Shelby Rayner scored her first bucket of the night two minutes later, but Tulsa netted the next seven in a row as a part of their 13-2 first-quarter run.
 
NSU scored six of the final eight points of the quarter, ending with a Rayner 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the first, but Tulsa held the 29-17 lead after one quarter.
 
One of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, the Hurricanes made 4-of-10 in the first quarter to bolster their lead. The Lady Demons held Tulsa to just one make from beyond the arc in the second quarter.
 
Unfortunately for NSU, the offense suffered on that end of the floor with a game-worst 20 percent field goal percentage in the quarter allowing Tulsa to still build on its lead and hold the 49-26 edge at the half.
 
The Lady Demons were able to find much more rhythm and execution in the second half of the game.
 
They made three of their first five shots from the field to start the third quarter, starting with one of Sharna Ayres' four 3-pointers to open the second half scoring. She finished the game with four total, three in the second half, giving her a third straight double-digit scoring performance.
 
Outside of a four-minute stretch in the third quarter, where Tulsa went on a 13-0 scoring stretch to put a firm grip on the game, the Lady Demons played toe-to-toe and at times outdueled the Hurricanes.
 
Rayner showed her ability to score from all levels over the final two minutes of the third quarter, making a pair of 3-pointers and knocking down a step-back jumper from the left block as time expired in the quarter.
 
She scored the final eight points of the third for NSU, part of her team leading 18 points.
 
Parramore took her turn with the hot hand late in the fourth, putting in eight points in just over a minute with a 3-pointer, And-1 play and another layup after an Ayres steal, putting her into double digits for the fifth time this year with 15 points.
 
Save the four-minute period without a bucket in the third quarter and the 13 points Tulsa scored during the stretch, the Lady Demons outscored the Hurricanes 38-34 in the second half.
 
NSU shot 48 percent in the second half and went 7-for-16 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes of the game.