Tulsa Drops Season Opener to the Horned Frogs

Saturday, November 28

Kansas City, Mo.

6:30 PM

Tulsa

0-1,0-0AAC

TCU

2-0,0-0Big 12

Tulsa

TCU

Tulsa Drops Season Opener to the Horned Frogs

11/28/2020 10:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –– Brandon Rachal scored 19 points for Tulsa (0-1), but the Hurricane dropped its season opener, 70-65, to the TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

The Hurricane took on the Horned Frogs in the first round of the Hall of Fame Classic powered by ShotTracker.

Rachel led the Hurricane in points (19) and rebounds (8), shooting 9-13 from the field and 1-4 from three. Tulsa dominated points in the paint 38-to-18, scored 8 points off of TCU turnovers and shot on 27-of-54 from the field for 50 percent. The Horned Frogs were led by Kevin Samuel's 16 points and 18 rebounds.

In his first game as a Hurricane, Keyshawn Embery-Simpson scored 14 points, shooting 6-13 from the field. Elijah Joiner put in 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the first game of his senior season.

Tulsa took its first lead of the game at the 16:31 mark in the first half when Embery-Simpson hit his first shot in a Tulsa uniform on a jumper for a 7-5 lead. The bucket sparked a 13-3 run to give Tulsa their first double-digit lead of the game at 18-8 with 11:03 left in the half.

Embery-Simpson led Tulsa's scoring in the first half with 7 points, followed by Rachal's 6 and Joiner's 5 points. The Hurricane established its defense in the first half forcing TCU into 8 turnovers, scoring 6 points off of them.

After the Hurricane extended the lead to 20-10, the Horned Frogs went on a 17-2 run of their own to take a 27-22 lead with 4:38 left in the first. TCU was led by Samuel who put in 9 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The 20 minutes saw Tulsa knock down 12-of-27 free shots from the field, while converting 2 of 11 three-pointers. TCU was 7-of-16 from behind the arc in the first half and 12-of-31 from the field.

TCU started the second half by outscoring the Hurricane 8-4 in the first 2:49 to take a 44-34 lead. However, Tulsa made it a 3-point game, 47-44, at the 12:10 mark on a 10-3 run capped off by back-to-back layups from Darien Jackson and Rey Idowu.

Tulsa continued to fight back led by Rachal who scored 7 straight points for the Hurricane, tying the game at 57 on a three pointer with 4:46 on the clock. The Horned Frogs went on a 10-3 run, taking a 67-60 lead on two second-chance free throws by junior RJ Nembhard. TCU closed out the game making 3-4 free throws giving them a 5-point victory.

Quick Hitters

Tulsa's four seniors (Rachal, Joiner, Jackson and Ugboh) combined for 39 points and 18 rebounds in the game.
Three Hurricane players scored the first points of their career: Keyshawn Embery-Simpson-14, Rey Idowu-8, and Keshawn Williams-4
Tulsa held the lead for 10:25 in the game, trailing the Horned Frogs for 27:35.
The Hurricane's starters scored 47 of the 65 points, with the bench adding 18.
Tulsa's record against TCU moves to 22-13.
Brandon Rachal puts in his 21st double-figure game as a Hurricane, while Joiner has his 14th and Embery-Simpson adds his first.

Tulsa plays South Carolina in the final round of the Hall of Fame Classic powered by ShotTracker on Sunday with a 12 p.m. tipoff at the T-Mobile Center. Tulsa is 0-1 against the Gamecocks all-time. Tulsa will play their home opener in the Reynolds Center next Friday, Dec. 4 against UT Arlington.

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