Tulsa Returns to Action Against Temple

GAME #14: TULSA (6-7, 0-2 AAC) vs Temple (9-6, 2-2 AAC)
Date/Time:	Wednesday • Jan. 12, 2022 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Reynolds Center (8,355) • Tulsa, Okla.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Frank Haith (Elon '88), 8th Season Temple - Aaron McKie (Temple '94), 3rd Season
TV:	ESPNU \| Drew Carter (pxp) & Sean Harrington (analyst)
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard & J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	16th Meeting (Tulsa Leads Series 11-4)
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa (PDF) \| Temple (PDF) \| The American (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. –– After postponing Saturday's game against UCF, the University of Tulsa will return to the court when the Golden Hurricane host Temple in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Wednesday evening.

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT) and the game will air on ESPNU. Drew Carter will provide the play-by-play, and Sean Harrington will serve as the analyst for the matchup via a remote broadcast. Fans can also catch Bruce Howard and J.R. Rollo on Big Country 99.5 FM.

Tulsa (6-7, 0-2 AAC) enters the matchup after dropping a heartbreaker against Memphis last Tuesday, 67-64. The Hurricane battled back from an 18-point deficit in the second half, but couldn't find a way to win, dropping to 1-5 in games decided by five points or fewer.

Tulsa cut the lead to six with a little more than two minutes remaining, 65-59. Sam Griffin knocked down a layup with 20 seconds left to bring the Hurricane within four, and then on the next possession hit on a 3-pointer in the corner off Anthony Pritchard's seventh assist, making it 65-64 with 2.9 seconds to play. Memphis hit both free throws and then Darien Jackson's half-court shot was just off the mark, giving the Tigers the win.

Temple (9-6, 2-2 AAC) is looking for its third straight win, having won the previous two on the heroics of Damian Dunn's 3-point shooting. Dunn has hit back-to-back game winners on 3-pointers, including a buzzer beater against ECU on Saturday, lifting the Owls to a 78-75 win and earning Dunn The American's Player of the Week Honors in the process.

The Hurricane carries a 11-4 record against the Owls into the 16th meeting between the two programs. Tulsa is 7-0 in home games and 6-0 in the Reynolds Center, the only American Athletic Conference venue where Temple has not recorded a win.

The teams split last season's meetings, with the Owls winning on Jan. 27 76-67 in Philadelphia, Pa. Tulsa responded almost a month later, beating Temple 72-66 in the Reynolds Center on Feb. 16.

In the first meeting, Rey Idowu put up a 20-point performance to lead the Hurricane in the loss. Jackson was one of four Tulsa players to record double-figures in the return win, scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Haywood had nine points in the first matchup, and five in the second, adding four assists and six rebounds in the win.

Griffin is the new leading scorer for the Hurricane, as his 25-point performance against Memphis last week earned him a spot on the AAC weekly honor roll and raised his scoring average to 16.9 per game. Jeriah Horne is right behind him at 16.8 points, and the pair are fifth and sixth in the conference respectively. Horne and Griffin are also in the top grouping in the conference in field goals made. Horne sits in fifth with 78, while Griffin is third after knocking down 83 shots. Horne continues to lead the conference in rebounding, averaging 7.5 per game, and defensive rebounding (5.7).

As a team, Tulsa is 44th in the nation and leads in the conference for fewest fouls, committing only 197 this season. The Hurricane also handles the ball well while forcing turnovers on the other end. TU ranks 50nd in the country for fewest turnovers (197), 22nd for turnover margin (4.2), 44th for turnovers forced (16.2) and 80th for turnovers per game (11.9).

Dunn leads the Owls in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game, but is scoring 18.3 in conference games. Khalif Battle scores 21.4 points per contest but has only played in seven this season thanks to injury. Jeremiah Williams falls just short of averaging double-figures, scoring 9.5 a night.

In addition to his scoring, Dunn also co-leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 4.7 a game alongside Nick Jourdain. They're one of five Owls to average at least four rebounds per game, and there are two more who average 3.9.

After Wednesday's game, a matchup with the 11th-ranked Houston Cougars awaits. Tulsa will look to replicate last season's upset in the Reynolds Center when Houston visits on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN2.

Tulsa Returns to Action Against Temple

Players Mentioned

Sam Griffin

Jeriah Horne

Rey Idowu

Darien Jackson

Anthony Pritchard

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