Tulsa Defeats Bearcats in Cincinnati for First Time Since 1967

Saturday, January 2

Cincinnati OH

2:00 PM

Tulsa

6-3,3-1AAC

Cincinnati

2-6,0-3AAC

Tulsa

Cincinnati

Tulsa Defeats Bearcats in Cincinnati for First Time Since 1967

1/2/2021 5:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

GAME BOOK | SEASON STATS

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Brandon Rachal scores 25 points and grabs 13 rebounds to lead the Golden Hurricane to a 70-66 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Fifth Third Arena.

Rachal, for the second straight game, knocked down two free throws in the last seconds of the game to beat the Bearcats on the road for the first time since 1967.

"I take pride in free throws. Every day at the end of practice we shoot free throws. I feel like I am prepared every game to make free throws because of practice," said guard Brandon Rachal.

Rey Idowu tied his career-high in points with 16, shooting 7-8 (88%) from the field while grabbing 4 rebounds.

"Heck of a win for our team. We played well in the first half," said head coach Frank Haith, "In the second half, we showed great toughness and made some great plays. We have not won in this building since I have been here, so it was a great win for us."

The Hurricane received contributions from Darien Jackson with 8 points and 3 rebounds, and Keyshawn Embery-Simpson who had 8 points and 2 assists.

TU never trailed in the game, leading the contest for 38:22 of the game. Tulsa's largest lead of the game at 12 came at 23-11 in the first half.

Rachal started the game off with a bang for the Hurricane knocking down two consecutive three-points to give TU a 6-0 lead.

Tulsa stretched its lead out to double digits at 17-7 on a layup by Darien Jackson at the 13:02 mark of the first half. Elijah Joiner scored all of his 7 points in the first half on 2-3 shooting and 3-3 from the charity stripe.

Rachal's 16 points and 9 rebounds in the first half helped the Hurricane to an 8-point halftime lead at 41-33.

The Bearcats tied the game at 63-63 with 1:30 left in the second half, before Rachal made a basket falling down while being fouled. The three-point play gave the Hurricane a lead it did not let up the final 1:14 of play.

In the second half the Hurricane shot 54.5-percent (12-22) from the field and 66.7-percent (4-6) from the free throw line.

Idowu led TU in the second half, scoring 11 points on 5-5 shooting from the field. Idowu and Rachal combined for 8-9 (89%) from the field with 20 of the Hurricane 29 points in the half.

In the game TU shot 57-percent (25-44) from the field, 28-percent (5-18) from three and 79-percent (15-19) from the free throw line, while Cincinnati shot 34-percent (21-61) from the field, 32-percent (6-19) from three and 67-percent (18-27) from the line.

Cincinnati was led by senior Keith Williams who scored 18 points on 4-14 from the field and 9-14 from the free-throw line. Jeremiah Davenport scored16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Davenport led the Bearcats in the first half, with 11 points 4-5 shooting from the field and 2-2 from three.

Quick Facts

Tulsa's last win at Cincinnati came on Jan. 5, 1967 as the Hurricane won 65-64
Brandon Rachal scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds ... it was the third double-double for Rachal this season.
Rey Idowu tied his career-high in scoring with 16 points during the game.
The Hurricane outscored the Bearcats in the paint 36-28 ... the TU bench scored 28 points compared to Cincinnati's 24 points.
Tulsa had a season-best 6 blocks in the game ... Rachal led the Hurricane with a career-high 3 blocks in the game.
For the fourth time this season the Hurricane shot 50-percent or greater from the field ... TU was 25-44 (57-percent) against Cincinnati.
Tulsa had 16 assists on 25 made buckets in the game ... the Hurricane scored 12 points off of 9 Bearcats turnovers.