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Tulsa
SMU
Last Second Shot Lifts SMU Over Tulsa, 59-58
1/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2011
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Box Score 
TULSA, Okla. - Senior guard Justin Hurtt scored 27 points and sophomore guard Bryson Pope notched a career-high seven assists, but it wasn't enough as a last-second three from Robert Nyakundi gave SMU a 59-58 victory over The University of Tulsa men's basketball team Wednesday night inside Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Hurtt rose above the defense, sank the basket from the top of the key and converted the free throw after getting fouled to give Tulsa a 58-56 lead with 8.8 seconds to play.
The Golden Hurricane (10-10, 3-3 C-USA) accounted for four Mustangs (12-8, 3-3 C-USA) on the final possession, but Nyakundi got free in the corner and swished the wide-open three to win the game for the visiting squad.
Hurtt led all scorers with his highest point total since scoring 33 against UTSA on Dec. 23. He went 10 of 20 from the field and knocked down 5 of 9 from behind the three-point line. Pope added 12 points and a career-high seven assists, and sophomore guard Scottie Haralson contributed 11 points and a career-high five assists.
Papa Dia controlled the paint for the Mustangs with 19 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and four assists in 39 minutes. Jeremiah Samarrippas added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Nyakundi finished with 10 points and three steals.
Tulsa shot 46 percent from the field, went 10-for-19 (53 percent) from behind the arc and made just 6 of 14 from the free-throw line. SMU shot 45 percent from the field, 47 percent from downtown (7-for-15) and made all four of its free-throw attempts.
TU outrebounded the Mustangs 32-25.
Hurtt opened the game with a three and junior forward Steven Idlet gave the home team an early 5-0 advantage when he converted a jumper in the paint on TU's second possession.
Dia got SMU on the board, but Hurtt and Haralson combined to score the next eight points to give Tulsa a 13-2 lead.
Nyakundi stopped the bleeding with a trey on the other end of the floor and Dia was able to notch two more points, but TU freshman guard Jordan Clarkson got into the action with a three-pointer of his own as the Golden Hurricane maintained a 16-7 lead seven minutes into the contest.
The Mustangs got within three at 18-15, but Hurtt and Haralson kept Tulsa on top as the duo began to heat up from distance.
TU led by five with 4:27 to play in the opening half, and the duo leaped into action from distance, knocking down three-straight trey's. Pope followed that with a conventional three-point play as Tulsa built a 36-23 lead with 1:15 to play.
Nyakundi knocked down two free throws, and Jeremiah Samarrippas hit a jumper with five seconds to play to cut Tulsa's halftime advantage to 36-27.
Hurtt and Haralson combined for seven made three-pointers and Pope dished out a career-high six assists in the first 20 minutes.
Dia started the second with a layup, but Hurtt pushed the lead back out to double digits with one of his many three's on the evening.
With the Tulsa lead sitting at 41-31 just two minutes into the second half, the Mustangs roared back on the strength of a 12-2 run and tied the game at 43-43 with 13 minutes to play.
Another layup from Dia with 12:22 to play gave SMU its first lead of the game at 45-43, and the road side was able to use its momentum to build a six-point lead with 8:21 remaining.
TU was able to scratch and claw its way back into the contest, using a 7-2 run to find itself behind by just one at 56-55 with a little more than a minute to play.
During that run, Pope, Hurtt and Idlet combined to miss 5 of 6 free throws.
Tulsa still had a chance in the end, however, and Hurtt took advantage by hitting a jumper with 8.8 seconds to play. He was fouled by Mike Walker and calmly swished the free throw to give the home team the 58-56 advantage.
SMU came out of a timeout and was able to find Nyakundi in the corner for the game-winning jumper.
The victory for SMU snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa will look to rebound when it plays host to UTEP at 7:05 p.m. Jan. 29 at Reynolds Center.
TU traveled to UTEP Jan. 5 and fell to the Miners 69-59.
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