TULSA (Interstat) — Tulsa rode a dominant opening quarter and a balanced offense to a 67-40 victory over Rogers State in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at Donald Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla. The Golden Hurricane improved to 1-1 while Rogers State, a non-divisional opponent, fell behind early and could not recover. Attendance was 1,247.

Tulsa opened the game with 20 unanswered points before Rogers State got on the board on Karliey Parker’s jumper with 1.3 seconds left in the first quarter. Alexa Kinas started the scoring with a free throw, Jade Clack added another free throw and Hadar Cohen made two free throws for a 4-0 lead. Dora Toman followed with a layup and two free throws, Laura Di Stefano hit a 3-pointer and a layup, and Alisha Peavy and Mady Cartwright added free throws as the Golden Hurricane pulled away. Kinas closed the run with a layup before Parker’s late basket. Tulsa’s defense kept Rogers State scoreless for nearly the entire first quarter and forced the visitors into a difficult offensive rhythm. The first quarter ended with Tulsa ahead 20-2.

The Golden Hurricane kept the pressure on in the second quarter. Kinas opened the scoring with a layup, and after Parker hit a 3-pointer for Rogers State, Tulsa answered with a layup from Clack and a free throw from Cohen. Destiny Jones made two free throws for Rogers State, but McKenzie Jones hit a jumper and Claudia Diez scored a layup for the visitors. Toman’s 3-pointer pushed Tulsa’s lead to 30-9, and Haven Fisher added a layup. Jaelynn Scott made a pullup jumper before Rogers State’s Maddie Hendrix hit a 3-pointer and a layup in the final two minutes. Tulsa led 34-14 at halftime.

Tulsa put the game further out of reach in the third quarter. Cartwright opened the scoring with a layup, and Toman answered a Rogers State 3-pointer from Tazhia Watson with a layup of her own. Rylee Grays made two free throws, Peavy converted a layup and McKenzie Jones made a free throw as the Golden Hurricane stretched the margin. Rogers State’s Rafferty Powell hit a jumper, and Parker made a free throw, but Cartwright answered with a free throw and Hendrix made a floating jumper for the visitors. McKenzie Jones hit a 3-pointer and Scott closed the third-quarter scoring with a layup that gave Tulsa a 49-22 lead.

Rogers State played better in the fourth quarter and made the final margin more respectable. Peavy and Kinas opened the period with layups, but Rogers State’s Destiny Jones made a pullup jumper and Kinas answered with a driving layup that gave Tulsa a 55-24 lead. Powell hit a 3-pointer, Audrey Cline made four free throws and a layup, and Hendrix hit two 3-pointers in the final minutes. Tazhia Watson and Parker also made free throws for Rogers State, while Scott made a jumper for Tulsa. McKenzie Jones made a free throw, Clack hit a 3-pointer, Grays made a layup, Cohen made two free throws and McKenzie Jones capped the scoring with a layup.

For Rogers State, Parker made a jumper, a 3-pointer and two free throws. Destiny Jones made two free throws and a pullup jumper. Diez scored on a layup, Watson hit a 3-pointer and made two free throws, Powell hit a jumper and a 3-pointer, Cline made four free throws and a layup, and Hendrix made two 3-pointers, a layup and a floating jumper.

Tulsa finished with 67 points on 70 possessions, an offensive rating of 96.0. The Golden Hurricane had 11 offensive rebounds, eight assists and three blocks while committing 18 turnovers. Tulsa scored 20 points off turnovers and held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint. Rogers State scored six points off turnovers and had 12 points in the paint.

Kinas led Tulsa with nine points, six rebounds and one block in 24 minutes. Peavy added seven points, four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. McKenzie Jones had nine points, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes. Toman contributed nine points, five rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes. Cartwright posted five points, four rebounds, two assists and one block in 24 minutes. Clack had six points, five rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes. Cohen had five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. Scott added six points, four rebounds and one block in 16 minutes. Di Stefano had five points, two rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. Grays chipped in four points, three rebounds and one assist in six minutes.

Tulsa’s fast start was the decisive stretch. The Golden Hurricane scored the first 20 points of the game and never let Rogers State close within single digits after the opening quarter. The visitors’ best moments came late, when Hendrix and Cline helped produce a stronger fourth quarter, but the early deficit was too large. Tulsa also controlled the paint and turned Rogers State mistakes into points, finishing with a 20-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Tulsa evened its season record after a season-opening loss to Incarnate Word. The Golden Hurricane are next scheduled to host Oklahoma State, then Texas Southern, New Orleans, Stephen F. Austin in Frisco, Texas, Central Michigan and Bowling Green in Naples, Fla., Okla. Baptist, Oral Roberts, SMU and Tennessee-Martin.