Tulsa to Host Manhattan in Final Non-Conference Home Game

Saturday, December 16

Reynolds Center

6 PM

Tulsa

Manhattan

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Tulsa to Host Manhattan in Final Non-Conference Home Game

12/15/2017 1:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

GAME #11 ... TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (6-4) vs. MANHATTAN JASPERS (4-5)
Date/Time:	Saturday • Dec. 16 • 6 p.m.
Site:	Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 4th year Manhattan – Steve Masiello (Kentucky), 7th year
TV:	ESPN3 (Chad McKee and Bryndon Manzer)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Tulsa leads, 1-0
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa \| Manhattan

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa will host Manhattan at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in the squad's final home non-conference game of the season.

The Golden Hurricane (6-4) enter Saturday's matchup as winners of four of its last five games, including last Saturday's win at Kansas State and Thursday's victory over Prairie View A&M. During that time, Tulsa has crashed the glass and has outrebounded its last four opponents by an average of 10.4 rpg.

Junior Etou continues to lead the squad in scoring at 17.5 ppg to go along with his team-high 6.7 rebounds per outing. With conference play around the corner, the senior ranks fifth in The American in scoring and 10th in rebounding and field goal percentage (.553).

Meanwhile, the Jaspers (4-5) are just 2-5 away from home this season and will play their first game of the week after a home victory over Morgan State last Saturday. Picked to finish second in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference, Manhattan is led by Rich Williams' 16.9 ppg. The Jaspers have held their opponents to 67.4 ppg and their defense has forced an averaged of 15.9 turnovers per game.

TU won the only previous meeting against Manhattan, 77-74, back on Dec. 30, 1978, in New Haven, Conn.

Complete game notes attached.

Fast Break Points
• Tulsa is in its 107th season of basketball and fourth season in the American Athletic Conference.
• Tulsa will host Manhattan at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, in its final non-conference home game of the season.
• TU defeated the Jaspers 77-74 in the only other meeting between the programs back on Dec. 30, 1978.
• Tulsa is coming off a 77-73 win over Prairie View A&M on Thursday. The team was led by Junior Etou, who just missed out on a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds.
• Junior Etou leads the team at 17.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg and those marks rank fifth and 10th in The American, respectively. The senior also ranks 10th in the circuit with a .553 field goal percentage.
• Tulsa is shooting 46.5-percent from the floor, which ranks fifth in The American. TU has shot at least 45-percent in seven contests, including four games of at least 50-percent shooting.
• The Hurricane also rank fifth in the conference by averaging 77.2 ppg. TU has scored at least 78 points five times.
• Sterling Taplin is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 ppg to go along with a team-high 4.1 assists per outing. The junior also has pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in each of the last two games.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.2 ppg in his last five contests.
• After posting a -4.5 rebound margin through its first six games, TU has out-rebounded its opponent in each of its last four games for a +10.4 rebound margin. TU has outrebounded its opponent by double digits in three of those four games.
• TU has posted 34 league wins since joining The American, which is tied for the third-most behind SMU (44) and Cincinnati (41).
• Tulsa was picked to finish eighth in The American Preseason Poll. TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in all three previous seasons under head coach Frank Haith.

Notes
The Game
• Tulsa will host Manhattan at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Reynolds Center in the squad's final home non-conference game.
• Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN3, while fans in the Tulsa area can tune to Big Country 99.5 FM with Bruce Howard and former Hurricane player J.R. Rollo calling the action. Live audio from the game also can be found on tulsahurricane.com or by using the TuneIn app.

The Series
• Saturday's contest will mark just the second all-time meeting between Tulsa and Manhattan.
• TU won the only previous meeting, 77-74, back on Dec. 30, 1978, behind 20 points and 13 rebounds from Billy Keys. The game was played in New Haven, Conn., as part of the Connecticut Mutual Classic.

Scouting the Jaspers
• Picked to finish second in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference, Manhattan returns six letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that went 10-22 overall, including a 5-15 league mark.
• The Jaspers have played all but two games away from home this season and own a 2-5 mark in those contests.
• Manhattan is coming off an 80-66 home victory over Morgan State last Saturday. The Jaspers also own wins over preseason Ivy League favorite Harvard, Holy Cross and St. Francis Brooklyn.
• Preseason second-team All-MAAC pick Rich Williams leads the team at 16.9 ppg, while Calvin Crawford is averaging 11.3 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per contest.
• Manhattan has held its opponents to an average of 67.4 ppg and its defense has forced an average of 15.9 turnovers per game.

Last Time Out
• Junior Etou neared a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Corey Henderson Jr. added 15 points as Tulsa defeated Prairie View A&M, 77-73, on Thursday night at the Reynolds Center.
• The victory gave the Hurricane its fourth win in its last five games.
• TU outrebounded its fourth consecutive opponent with a 37-35 edge on the glass.

Sharp Shooting
• TU is shooting 46.5-percent from the floor to rank fifth in the American Athletic Conference. The squad has shot better than 45-percent seven times, including at least 50-percent in four contests.
• DaQuan Jeffries ranks third in the league by shooting 62.1-percent (36-of-58), while Junior Etou ranks 10th at 55.3-percent. In all, seven players are shooting better than 45-percent this season.
• The team's hot shooting has helped the offense rank fifth in the circuit by averaging 77.2 ppg. TU has scored at least 78 points five times this season.
• Freshman Elijah Joiner is shooting 50-percent behind the arc and leads the team with 14 3-pointers made.

Trending
• After being outrebounded in five of its first six games with a rebound margin of -4.5 rpg, Tulsa has crashed the glass and outrebounded its opponents by a combined 173-121 (+10.4 rpg) in its last four contests. TU held a +20 rebounding advantage in games against UTSA and Illinois State before a +10 edge on the glass in its win at Kansas State.
• Junior Etou has attempted at least 10 free throws four times this season. Etou ranks 18th in the nation with 77 free-throw attempts this season and ninth in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes via kenpom.com.
• Martins Igbanu is averaging 9.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 19 games as a starter during his career at TU.
• After averaging 1.6 ppg in his first five games, Corey Henderson Jr. is averaging 12.2 ppg in his last five contests.

Haith In His Fourth Season at TU
• Head coach Frank Haith is in his fourth season at Tulsa, where he has compiled a 63-44 record and made a pair of postseason appearances during his tenure. Overall, he has an on-court record of 268-173 in his 14th season.
• Haith has led the Golden Hurricane to a pair of 20-win seasons and postseason appearances (2015 NCAA Tournament, 2016 NIT) during his first three seasons.
• With a win over No. 9 Wichita State in 2015-16, he led TU to its first win over a top-10 squad since 2000. Later that season, TU won at No. 16 SMU for its first road win against a top-16 program since 1981.

Haith in Exclusive Coaching Company
• Head coach Frank Haith is the only active Division I coach to take teams in four of the Power 6 conferences to the NCAA Tournament. Haith guided Tulsa (The American) to the Big Dance in 2015, Missouri (SEC) in 2013, Missouri (Big 12) in 2012 and Miami (ACC) in 2008.
• In addition, Haith is one of just 20 active coaches that have taken at least three different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
• Haith will face three other coaches on that list this season when TU matches up against Tubby Smith (Memphis), Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Bruce Weber (Kansas State).

Tulsa's Success in The American
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 season, the Golden Hurricane has posted 34 league wins, which is tied with Temple for third-most in the circuit.
• Only SMU (44 wins) and Cincinnati (41 wins) have earned more victories than Tulsa's 34, which tops UConn (30) and Memphis (27) along with five other conference programs.
• TU has finished better than its preseason prediction in each of Haith's three seasons. The Golden Hurricane was picked to finish eighth in the conference prior to the 2017-18 season.

Etou Named Preseason Second-Team American Athletic Conference
• Senior forward Junior Etou was named preseason second-team American Athletic Conference in a vote by the league's head coaches.
• Last season, Etou led the Golden Hurricane in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) and was the only player to start all 32 games. He was even better in conference play as he averaged 13.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg.
• So far in 2017-18, Etou leads the Hurricane in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). Those marks rank fifth and 10th in the conference, respectively.
• Etou has scored in double-figures nine times, including four games of at least 20 points.

Look Who's Back
• Tulsa returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, and 72-percent of its offense from last season's team.
• Returning starters include senior forward Junior Etou (32 starts), sophomore forward Martins Igbanu (17), junior guard Sterling Taplin (30) and senior guard Jaleel Wheeler (29).
• Other returners include junior forward Geno Artison, senior guard Corey Henderson Jr., sophomore guard Lawson Korita and junior forward Alex Foree.
• In all, Tulsa returns 68.8-percent of its minutes, 66.9-percent of its rebounding, 79.8-percent of its assists and 65.5-percent of its steals.

New Faces
• Along with the eight returning letterwinners, Tulsa has five newcomers, four of which made their debut in the season opener against Lamar.
• The newcomers eligible for 2017-18 are sophomore guard Curran Scott, junior guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries, freshman guard Darien Jackson and freshman guard Elijah Joiner. Sophomore forward Jeriah Horne will sit out the season after transferring from Nebraska.
• Scott redshirted the 2016-17 season after transferring from Charlotte, where he averaged 10.3 ppg as a freshman in 2015-16. He practiced with the Golden Hurricane last season.
• TU's four newcomers have totaled 245 points (24.5 ppg), led by 91 points (11.4 ppg) from DaQuan Jeffries.

Tulsa Enters 20th Season at the Reynolds Center
• After hosting the first TU men's basketball game on Dec. 29, 1998, the Golden Hurricane will play its 20th season in the Donald W. Reynolds Center this year.
• Tulsa has posted an overall record of 230-71 (.764) in its 19+ seasons, including a 4-1 mark this season.
• The building has seen 41 sellouts and 1,808,045 fans have witnessed Tulsa basketball at the Reynolds Center.

Offense Shines In Exhibition Wins
• Tulsa improved to 66-2 all-time in exhibition games, including a run of 37 consecutive victories, with wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State (96-65) and Missouri S&T (113-56) prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.
• TU put up impressive numbers in the wins as the team averaged 104.5 points and shot 56.6-percent from the floor, including 46.9-percent from behind the arc. Tulsa also recorded 46 assists to just 21 turnovers and out-rebounded its two opponents by a combined total of 99-46.
• Five players averaged in double-figures during exhibition play, led by Junior Etou's 17.0 ppg. Joining him were Corey Henderson Jr. (16.0 ppg), DaQuan Jeffries (12.5 ppg), Curran Scott (12.5 ppg) and Geno Artison (11.5 ppg).
• TU made 20 3-pointers in the win over Missouri S&T (the program's regular-season record for a game is 18), with half of that total coming from Henderson (6) and Artison (4).

TU Adds Three in the Early Signing Period
• Tulsa has signed three student-athletes — Chris Barnes, Peter Hewitt and Zeke Moore — to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
• All three signees are enrolled at junior colleges and will have three years of eligibility at TU.
• Barnes is a 6-foot-4 guard from Compton, Calif., who played his freshman season at UTEP. He appeared in 16 games for the Miners after earning all-conference honors as a senior at Compton HS. He is redshirting this season at Angelina College.
• Peter Hewitt is a 6-foot-10 forward from Mountain View, Calif., who redshirted last season at UC Davis. He currently plays for Las Positas College and he has helped the team average 84.2 ppg and start 10-4 this season. Hewitt was a three-year letterwinner at Saint Francis High School and led the Lancers to a pair of West Coast Athletic League titles.
• Zeke Moore is a 6-foot-7 guard from St. Louis, Mo., who played his freshman season at Saint Louis. He saw action in 29 games and averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds before transferring to Southwest Illinois CC, where he is redshirting this season. Moore was a standout at Riverview Gardens HS for his father, head caoch Gerard Moore, and he averaged 21.1 ppg as a senior.

Season Tickets Available Now
• Season tickets for Tulsa's full home schedule are on sale now.
• A four-game Mini-Plan also is available, which features four American Athletic Conference matchups (Jan. 3 vs. UConn; Jan. 13 vs. Wichita State; Feb. 1 vs. SMU; March 4 vs. Temple).
• Additionally, discounted group tickets are available to groups of 15 or more and fans also can purchase an All-Sport FlexBook, which allows flexibility in attending games for basketball, football and ticketed Olympic sports.
• Fans can purchase tickets in person at the TU Athletics Ticket Office in the Reynolds Center or by calling 918.631.GoTU (4688).

Next Up
• Tulsa will play its final non-conference game at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at Oklahoma State (7-2). TU then will open American Athletic Conference play against ECU (5-4) on Dec. 28 at the Reynolds Center.

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