Tulsa Falls to #17 SMU 81-69 in American Opener

Tuesday, December 29

Reynolds Center

4:00 p.m.

Tulsa

SMU

Tulsa Falls to #17 SMU 81-69 in American Opener

12/29/2015 7:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Don Tomkalski

Box Score | Quotes

James Woodard scored 22 points to lead Tulsa, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Hurricane fell 81-69 to #17-ranked SMU in the American Athletic Conference opener for both schools Tuesday night in front of 5,364 fans at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tulsa dropped to 8-5 on the season, while SMU improved to 12-0.

SMU was led by Shake Milton's 24 points, as the freshman from nearby Owasso, Oklahoma, connected on 7-of-8 three pointers. Nic Moore added 23 points and Ben Moore scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for the Mustangs. Milton made his fist seven treys, before missing in the final three minutes.

Shaquille Harrison scored 15 points and had team-highs of eight rebounds and five assists for Tulsa, while D'Andre Wright added 14 points and six rebounds.

It was SMU's hot-shooting from the field that propelled the Mustangs to the victory. SMU shot 56-percent from the field and a sizzling 67-percent from three-point range, knocking down 10-of-15 from behind the arc. Tulsa shot 44-percent from the field, 30-percent from three-point range and just 50-percent on 11-of-22 from the free throw line.

"Obviously SMU played terrific. When you play a team that is as talented as they are and as skilled as they are, in terms of scoring the basketball, you have to make plays when you have the opportunity to make plays. I thought we missed too many opportunities – layups and free throws. To beat a team like SMU, they are so skilled offensively, you have to make those plays. We weren't able to make those plays," said Tulsa Head Coach Frank Haith.

"In order to beat a team like that, you have to take advantage of opportunities when you have them. I don't know that we cashed in when we needed to cash in," added Haith.

After trailing 41-35 at halftime, Rashad Smith's jumper made it 45-40 at the 18:26 mark of the second half, and that was as close as the Hurricane would get for the remainder of the game. Keith Frazier's layup at the 12:23 mark gave SMU its largest lead of the game at 63-49, but Tulsa scored the next seven points on a Marquel Curtis jumper, Woodard three-pointer and Wright layup making the score 63-56 with 9:28 left on the game clock.

Moore's three-pointer 0:21 later put the Mustangs back on top by 10 at 66-56. A Woodard jumper at the 7:19 mark brought Tulsa to within six points, 68-62, but that was as close as the Hurricane would get. SMU rattled off the next six points for a 11-point lead and equaled its largest lead of the game at 14 points when Moore's jumper put the Mustangs ahead 81-67 with 0:42 remaining.

Tulsa opened the game scoring the first four points, but SMU shot a sizzling 64-percent from the field over the first nine minutes to build an 11-point lead, 22-11, at the 11:24 mark. From that point, the Hurricane went on an 11-2 run, cutting SMU's lead to 24-22 when Woodard knocked down a three-pointer at the 8:11 mark.

The Mustangs scored the next seven points to take a 31-22 lead at the 6:38 mark, before the Hurricane slashed the SMU lead to just two points, 33-31, outscoring the Mustangs 9-2 over the next two minutes.

Milton's fifth trey of the first-half put the Mustangs back up by 10 points at the 2:01 mark, but Woodard scored two layups to cut the Hurricane deficit to six points at halftime, 41-35.

SMU finished the first half shooting 59-percent from the field and 60-percent from three-point range, while Tulsa shot 52-percent from the field, but made just 3-of-10 free throws for 30-percent through the first 20 minutes.

Woodard led Tulsa with 13 first-half points, while SMU's Milton had 17 at the intermission.

Tulsa goes on the road to face the Cincinnati Bearcats in American Athletic Conference action this Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. (CT) game that will be televised on ESPNU. Tulsa returns to the Reynolds Center next Tuesday to host the East Carolina Pirates with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.

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