TU Puts Six in Double-Figures to Top ECU on Thursday, 72-58

Thursday, March 1

Greenville, NC

6 PM

Tulsa

18-11, 11-6

ECU

10-18, 4-13

Tulsa

ECU

Photo by: John Lew

TU Puts Six in Double-Figures to Top ECU on Thursday, 72-58

3/1/2018 8:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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GREENVILLE, N.C. — Martins Igbanu led six players in double-figures with 16 points as Tulsa pulled away from ECU in the second half for a 72-58 win on Thursday night at Minges Coliseum.

Igbanu neared a double-double with eight rebounds along with his 16 points as the Golden Hurricane (18-11, 11-6) ensured no worse than a fifth-place finish in the American Athletic Conference standings. Junior Etou notched his seventh double-double of conference action with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Curran Scott (12), Sterling Taplin (11), Corey Henderson Jr. (10) and DaQuan Jeffries (10) all scored in double-figures.

Elijah Joiner added a season-high seven assists as the Hurricane, who have won seven of its last eight games, recorded a season-best 19 helpers on its 25 baskets. TU held the Pirates (10-18, 4-13) to just 35.5-percent shooting, including 26.7-percent in the second half.

B.J. Tyson paced ECU with 18 points, while Shawn Williams had 14 first-half points for the home squad.

Tulsa extended a two-point halftime lead with a 16-4 run over the first 11 minutes of the second half. The TU defense limited the Pirates to just 2-of-17 shooting to start the period and the visitors used the stretch to build a double-digit advantage, which it would hold for the rest of the night.

TU did much of its damage at the free-throw line, where eight of its points came, as the Pirates got in foul trouble early on during the half.

ECU cut the lead down to 10 twice in the final eight minutes, but Tulsa answered the call each time with a bucket to keep the Pirates at bay. Scott hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds to help put the game away as TU cruised to the 72-58 final.

ECU came out on fire, hitting its first five shots for an early 12-7 lead. However, Tulsa clamped down on defense and shared the ball well against the Pirates' zone to rattle off a 14-3 run to take the lead for the rest of the half.

Scott started the spurt with jumper and added a 3-pointer after Jeffries hit a trey. Geno Artison found the soft spot in the ECU zone for a 15-foot jumper before Jeffries drained back-to-back 17-footers.

Following an Isaac Fleming 3-pointer, Taplin hit back-to-back triples to ignite another 12-3 run that gave TU its largest lead of the half, 33-21, with 6:33 to go in the period. That stretch was capped by a layup and triple by Igbanu.

But the Pirates caught fire again toward the end of the half and tied the score at 39 with an 18-6 run. Two free throws from Henderson Jr. gave the Hurricane a 41-39 edge at the half.

Tulsa will return home to close out the regular-season with a 2 p.m. matchup against Temple (16-13, 8-9) on Sunday, March 4 at the Reynolds Center.

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