NEW ORLEANS — Twenty-four points from Abby Cater weren't enough as Wichita State narrowly lost 62-54 at Tulane on Saturday in Devlin Fieldhouse.
 
The Shockers (7-22, 4-12 American) suffered their fifth straight defeat to Tulane (11-17, 6-10 American) and had their two-game win streak snapped. Cater recorded her fifth 20-point performance of the season. No other Shocker reached double figures.
 
It was a back-and-forth, low-scoring affair between the conference foes, featuring 15 lead changes and seven ties. The difference came in the turnover column, where Tulane forced 19 Wichita State turnovers, resulting in 23 points.
 
After Wichita State scored the game's first basket on a jumper by Cater, Tulane held the lead for five minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers by Jaila Harding gave the Shockers a 15-14 lead with just under a minute to go in the quarter. A steal and layup by Diamond Richardson made it a three-point lead before late Tulane free throws trimmed the margin to 17-16 at the end of the first.
 
Neither side scored in the opening two minutes of the second quarter, but Karys Washington found the first points on a three-point play with 7:46 remaining, putting the Shockers ahead 20-16. Wichita State maintained the lead for four minutes before three straight baskets gave the Green Wave a 23-22 edge. With a minute left in the half, Richardson knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Shockers in front 26-25.
 
Wichita State shot just 1-for-16 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the quarter but managed to take the lead into halftime behind stellar defense and a perfect 7-for-7 effort at the free throw line.
 
Out of the half, the lead changed hands four times before two baskets from Bre'Yon White gave the Shockers a five-point advantage with 3:04 left in the third — their largest lead of the game. Tulane tied the game at 40-40 with 43 seconds remaining, but free throws from Richardson and Cater gave Wichita State a 42-40 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Tulane regained the lead early in the fourth at 46-45 and extended it to 48-45. Cater tied the game with a three-pointer a minute later, and Treasure Thompson gave the Shockers a 49-48 lead. After a Green Wave jumper and two Thompson free throws, the score stood at 51-50 with 4:23 remaining.
 
The Wichita State offense went cold from there, failing to score for the next three minutes. Tulane scored six straight points to take a 56-51 lead. A putback and-one by Washington broke the drought and cut the deficit to two, but Wichita State was shut out over the final minute as Tulane converted free throws to seal the game.
 
Up next
Wichita State hosts North Texas for Senior Night on Tuesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena.