The Golden Hurricane Storm Back to Defeat the Tigers

Monday, December 21

Memphis, TN

7:00 PM

Tulsa

3-3,1-1AAC

Memphis

5-4,1-1AAC

Tulsa

Memphis

The Golden Hurricane Storm Back to Defeat the Tigers

12/21/2020 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Memphis, Tenn. –– Tulsa stormed back from down 6 with 4:32 left in the game, going on an 18-5 run to defeat the Memphis Tigers, 56-49, in the FedEx Forum Monday night.

For the second straight game, junior Austin Richie led the Hurricane in scoring with 14 off the bench, including 11 in the second half. Rey Idowu was a force in the paint scoring 13 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Tulsa's defense showed out and for the second straight game, forced 20 turnovers, scoring 16 points off of them. The Hurricane held Memphis to a season low 32.1-percent (17-53) from the field, allowing only 5 made field goals in the second half.

"We just played with great toughness. We felt like we were always right there, and we just needed to continue to stay together," said Head Coach Frank Haith, "Obviously, shots were not falling, but our defense kept us where we needed to be."

Darien Jackson was dominant for the Hurricane down the stretch scoring all 9 of his points in the second half, going 4-6 (67-percent) from the field. Elijah Joiner ended with 5 points knocking down 5 free throws for Tulsa in the last 2:17 of the contest.

TU began its second half run with two technical free throws and a three pointer from Richie. The Hurricane, who finished shooting 17-28 (61%) from the charity stripe, made 9-11 free throws during the stretch.

Tulsa opened the game on a quick 4-0 run but went on a 5:13 drought allowing Memphis to grow a 12-6 lead. The first half was full of runs as the Hurricane went on an 8-0 run to cut the Tigers' lead to 20-19, before Memphis ended the first on an 8-0 run of their own.

The Hurricane was led in the first half by their bigs, Rey Idowu and Emmanuel Ugboh, who scored 9 of the team's 19 points. Tulsa's defense was stout, forcing 8 first half turnovers to keep the Hurricane close.

The Tigers were led by DeAndre Williams who was the only Tiger in double-figures with 13. Memphis's leading scorer Landers Nolley II was held to 8 points by the Hurricane, shooting 20-percent (2-10) from the field.

Quick Hitters

Tulsa wins its second straight game against Memphis ... TU now has 20 wins all time against the Tigers
Head Coach Frank Haith is tied 3rd all-time in wins with legendary head coach Nolan Richardson with 119 victories
The Hurricane picks up its third victory of the season and first in the American Athletic Conference
Tulsa outshot the Tigers from the field making 17-49 (35%) to 17-53 (32%) ... free throws 17-28 (61%) to 10-21 (48%) ... Memphis was better from three making 5-19 (26%) compared to 5-22 (23%) by the Hurricane
The TU bench was vital in the win, scoring 36 of the Hurricane's 56 points ... Tulsa outscored the Tigers off the bench 36-10
Tulsa wins its first game of the season while getting outrebounded ... Tulsa grabbed 33 boards compared to Memphis's 46
The Hurricane outscored the Tigers in the paint, 22-18 ... TU has outscored 5 of their 6 opponents in the paint
Tulsa had 13 assists on 17 made baskets ... Elijah Joiner led the team in assists with 6

Tulsa plays its next game on Dec. 23 against Southwestern Christian University at 6:00 pm in the Reynolds Center on ESPN+.

TU fans can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch Golden Hurricane basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball this year. ESPN+ is offered at $5.99/month or $49.99/year. To subscribe, go to: plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed.

Fans can also subscribe to ESPN+ as part of the Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) for just $12.99/month. A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com or the ESPN App for iOS and Android devices.

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