Tulsa to Close Nonconference Slate at Loyola Marymount

GAME #11: TULSA (4-6, 0-0 AAC) vs Loyola Marymount (9-4, 0-0 WCC)
Date/Time:	Wednesday • Dec. 21, 2022 • 9:00 p.m. (CT)
Site:	Gersten Pavilion (4,156) • Los Angeles, Calif.
Coaches:	Tulsa – Eric Konkol (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, '00), 1st Season LMU - Stan Johnson (Southern Utah, '03), 3rd Season
TV:	WCC Network \| Jesse Kass
Radio:	Big Country 99.5 FM (Bruce Howard & J.R. Rollo)
Live Stats:	Live Stats
Series:	Tulsa leads 4-1
Twitter:	@TUMBasketball \| @TulsaHurricane
Instagram:	TulsaMBasketball
Game Notes:	Tulsa (PDF) \| LMU (PDF) \| The American (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team will head to the City of Angels to take on Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. (CT) and will air on the WCC Network. Jesse Kass will bring fans the action from Gersten Pavilion. Bruce Howard and JR Rollo will broadcast the radio call on Big Country 99.5 FM and The Varsity Network app.

Wednesday will mark the sixth meeting between the two programs, with Tulsa holding a 4-1 lead in the series. The Golden Hurricane won the only prior matchup in Los Angeles 79-45 on Dec. 20, 2008. The Lions were victorious in last season's game 60-55 after a back-and-forth battle. Sam Griffin paced Tulsa with 16 points while Anthony Pritchard added a four-steal performance.

Tulsa comes in with a 4-6 record after winning the final two games of the homestand. The Hurricane battered Mississippi Valley 66-51 on Friday after pulling away in the second half. Brandon Betson powered a 15-1 Tulsa run to break the game open and give Tulsa a 55-38 lead at the 9:01 mark. He knocked down three triples in the run, finishing 5-of-8 on 3-pointers for a game-high 15 points.

Betson has bumped his average up to 11.6 points per game, second to Sam Griffin's 15.2. Bryant Selebangue also averages double figures in scoring, putting up 10.9 a night. The big man also leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 8.1 boards per game, which is third best in the conference. His 3.0 offensive rebounding average is second in the conference.

Griffin and Betson have been getting it done from outside. The two guards have combined for 51 3-pointers, with Griffin's 27 leading the team and putting him second in the conference for made 3-pointers per game (2.7). Betson is a marksman from deep, sitting second in the league in 3-point percentage, knocking down 46.2 percent of his opportunities.

Loyola Marymount welcomes Tulsa while boasting a 9-4 record. The Lions have wins against Wake Forest in overtime and Georgetown, both in the Jamaica Classic, under their belt heading into its nonconference finale. LMU is coming off a 70-59 win against Cleveland State on Sunday, which was the team's first home game since beating Nevada 64-52 on Dec. 3.

Cam Shelton and Keli Leaupepe lead the way for the Lions, averaging 18.5 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Shelton sits in 52nd in the nation in scoring, and second in the WCC behind Gonzaga's Drew Timme, who averages 21.2.

LMU likes to let it fly from deep, putting up 27.2 3-point attempts per game and connecting on 9.8, which places them 26th and 25th in the nation, as well as second and third in the conference. The Hurricane shoots 25.8 3-pointers and converts 8.6 of them a game.

Following the Wednesday matchup, Tulsa will have a break for Christmas before returning to the Donald W. Reynolds Center for the conference opener against Houston on Dec. 28. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will air on either ESPNU or ESPN2. TU will then ring in the new year with a road matchup against SMU on Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.

Tulsa to Close Nonconference Slate at Loyola Marymount

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Betson

Sam Griffin

Anthony Pritchard

Bryant Selebangue