Tulsa
Connecticut
Tulsa Falls at UConn, 70-45
2/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2015
Hartford, Conn. - Tulsa was held to its lowest scoring output of the season in a 70-45 defeat at UConn Thursday evening at the XL Center. The Golden Hurricane fell to 17-7 overall and 10-2 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Huskies improved to 14-9 and 7-4.
Curtis led the Hurricane with 15 points and six rebounds, while Rashad Ray and D'Andre Wright tallied 10 points each. Ryan Boatright scored 23 points to pace UConn, and Rodney Purvis added 17 points. The teams combined for just 13 turnovers in the game, but the Huskies held a 39-30 advantage in rebounding and recorded 10 blocks. The Hurricane shot 32 percent for the game (17-of-54), and UConn shot 51 percent (26-of-51).
"UConn played great. They were outstanding," Tulsa Head Coach Frank Haith said. "I thought they shot the ball well, particularly in the second half. Defensively, they were really good. We really struggled scoring around the basket. But they whipped us in every aspect of the game. They were tougher. They were quicker to the ball. They played way more aggressive. I think it was probably opposite the way it was at our place. Give them credit - they played the game the way you play to win the game."
UConn led 26-17 at the half, and started the second half with an 11-2 run to extend its advantage to 37-19. The lead grew to 41-20 with 14:38 remaining on a layup by Amida Brimah. Brimah finished with nine points and accounted for seven blocks in the game.
Tulsa pulled within 50-35 with 7:11 left in the game. Curtis and Wright hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and Wright made a layup to cut the deficit to 15 points. After a 3-pointer by Purvis made the score 55-37, Wright connected on another basket from beyond the arc to make it 55-40 with 5:10 on the clock. That was as close as TU got for the rest of the game.
After scoring 27 points in the first 31 minutes, the Hurricane finished the game by scoring 18 points in the final nine minutes. Tulsa's previous low scoring total was 53 points in a win over Auburn on Nov. 24.
UConn scored the first eight points of the game, and led 10-1 at the 15:55 mark. Tulsa cut the deficit to 15-8 with 11:44 left in the half on a pair of jumpers by Rashad Smith and Curtis. UConn extended the lead back to 19-11, before TU cut it to 19-13 on a dunk by Brandon Swannegan with 7:22 to play in the half. It was as close as the Hurricane would get for the remainder of the period, as the Huskies took a 26-17 lead into the break.
Tulsa shot 28 percent in the first half, making 1-of-1- 3-pointers, while UConn shot 38 percent in the first period. Smith led the Hurricane with nine points at the break. TU's 17 points in the first half matched the season low, when it also scored 17 points on Jan. 10 at Temple.
The Golden Hurricane will have the weekend off from games before returning to action Wednesday, Feb. 18 against East Carolina at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
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