TULSA, Okla. - Louisiana Tech senior center Cheryl Ford scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the seventh-ranked Lady Techsters to an 85-66 win over Tulsa at the Donald W. Reynolds Center Saturday afternoon.

Junior forward Trina Frierson added 19 points and seven rebounds while sophomore guard Erica Smith scored 13 points and registered five steals.

While Ford and Frierson dominated inside on the offensive end, the Lady Techster guards harassed Tulsa senior Allison Curtin on the defensive end, limiting the Western Athletic Conference's leading scorer to only 5 of 16 shooting and 20 points.

"This was an absolutely tremendous road trip for these kids," said Tech head coach Kurt Budke, who saw his team win its 21st straight contest. "Most people won't understand how difficult it is to win at Rice and at Tulsa, and these young ladies responded. They showed a lot of heart and determination."

Tulsa entered the game having won all six of its home league games, including a 61-50 win over SMU Thursday night. However, any hope of winning was taken away early as the Lady Techsters (23-2, 15-0) built a 32-12 lead with 7:06 remaining in the first half.

Golden Hurricane 6-foot-4-inch center Alyssa Shriver was forced into early foul trouble by the Tech post players and ended up fouling out with zero points and three rebounds in only eight minutes of action.

Ford scored 19 of her points in the first half as Tech built a 47-31 halftime advantage. The Summerfield, La., native hit 14 of 19 free throws for the game, both career highs.

After sitting out much of the first half in foul trouble, Frierson sparked Tech in the second half with 13 of her 19 points.

"Cheryl and Trina are playing so well together right now, and the guards understand that and are getting them the basketball," Budke said. "There is no doubt we are playing some of our best basketball of the year right now, and it is a team effort. Everyone of these 12 players is contributing in some way."

For the game, Tech outrebounded Tulsa 51-38, including 24 offensive boards that led to numerous put backs and trips to the charity stripe as the Lady Techsters hit 26 of 36 free throws.

Tech returns to action Thursday night when the Lady Techsters host UTEP at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.