Hurricane Captures 56-48 Road Win at USF

Saturday, February 15

Tampa, Fla.

11 AM

Tulsa

17-8,9-3AAC

USF

11-14,4-8AAC

Tulsa

South Fla.

Hurricane Captures 56-48 Road Win at USF

2/15/2020 1:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE I SEASON STATS

TAMPA, Fla. – Tulsa hit 15-of-16 free throws down the stretch in the second half to secure a 56-48 victory over the USF Bulls Saturday afternoon in front of 3,095 fans at the Yuengling Center.

Brandon Rachal led all scorers with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. For the third consecutive game, Lawson Korita scored in double-figures with 10 points. Both Korita and Rachal grabbed 6 rebounds sharing the team-high for the game.

With 4:32 left in the game and Tulsa leading 43-47, Rachal took over by scoring 8 straight points for the Hurricane capping off the stretch with a dunk to put the Golden Hurricane ahead 51-44. Rachal scored two field goals and was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe during that stretch.

"Our defense in the first half was terrific. We knew it would be this type of game where we had to grind it out," said Tulsa head coach Frank Haith, "I am proud of our guys bowing their backs, making plays when we needed to. We did a good job of executing, driving to the rim and finishing around the basket."

Tulsa wins its second straight and 8th of last 10 games to move to 17-8 on the season and 9-3 in American Athletic Conference play, while USF fell to 11-14 overall and 4-8 in the AAC.

The Hurricane finished the game shooting 36-percent (15-of-42) from the field and 19-percent (3-of-16) from the three-point line. Tulsa went to the free throw line 28 times during the game converting 23 of the attempts for an 82-percent clip.

"When you are able to be strong and make free throws, it is how you win on the road," said Haith on the Hurricane free throw shooting, "We went to the line with confidence, controlling the game from start to finish."

The Bulls came out in the second half on a 5-0 run, cutting the Hurricane lead to single digits at 25-16. USF pulled the game within four at 30-26 with 12:51, but that was the closest the Bulls came to the Hurricane lead.

Tulsa forced 18 turnovers in the game, including 13 in the first half, and converted 20 points off USF turnovers. The Hurricane captured the edge on the boards 31-to-29, in fast break points 13-to-7 and in second chance points 7-to-5.

USF had three players in double-figures led by David Collins' 14 points. Laquincy Rideau and Justin Brown both had 10 points and 5 rebounds for the Bulls.

After going down 3-0 in the first 3 minutes of the first half, the Hurricane scored 8 straight sparked by a Martins  Igbanu jumper for an 8-3 lead at the 14:18 mark. The Hurricane took an 18-7 lead with 6:46 left on the first-half clock, and  extended its lead to 25-11 at halftime, ending the first half on an 15-4 run capped off by back-to-back layups by Darien Jackson.

For the third time this season, Tulsa held a conference opponent under 17 points in the first half, keeping the Bulls to 11 first-half points.

Rachal and Korita led the Hurricane in the first half scoring a combined 11 points. The Bulls were led by Collins who scored 4 of USF's 11 first half points.

Tulsa continues its 2-game road stretch traveling to Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 19 to take on the Cougars at 8:00 p.m. The Hurricane then returns to the Reynolds Center on Saturday, Feb. 22 to face off against SMU on Legends Day.

QUICK HITS ...
•     For the 10th consecutive game, the Hurricane has shot 19 or more free throws in a contest.
•    Brandon Rachal scored in double-figures for the first time since being injured against UConn on Feb. 6.
•    With his 10 points against USF, Lawson Korita has scored in double-figures that last three contests.
•    In all 17 wins this season, Tulsa has held opponents to less than 40.3 percent from the field ... the Hurricane held the Bulls to 38.6-percent from the field.