Loyola Marymount Pulls Away from Golden Hurricane in Second Half

Wednesday, December 21

Los Angeles, Calif.

9:00 PM

Tulsa

4-7,0-0AAC

Loyola Marymount

10-4,0-0WCC

Tulsa

LMU (CA)

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Loyola Marymount Pulls Away from Golden Hurricane in Second Half

12/22/2022 12:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

GAMEBOOOK (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. –– The University of Tulsa men's basketball team struggled from the field in the second half in a 76-64 loss to Loyola Marymount at the Gersten Pavilion on Wednesday evening.

The Golden Hurricane (4-7) shot 33.3 percent from the field and 3-point range in the second half as Tulsa was outscored 38-29, which extended the LMU (10-4) three-point halftime lead.

Second chance points were the difference maker in the matchup as LMU outscored TU 18-1. For the game, Tulsa finished 23-of-56 (41.1 percent) from the field and connected on 7-of-18 3-pointers (38.9 percent). LMU hit 45.6 percent of its shots but were held to 27.6 percent from deep.

Sam Griffin scored 13 to lead Tulsa, while Anthony Pritchard added 12 alongside a team-high five assists. Bryant Selebangue and Brandon Betson each scored 10, while Selebangue and Tim Dalger paced the Hurricane with seven rebounds apiece.

Cam Shelton, one of the West Coast Conference's leading scorers, had a 24-point, 10 rebound double-double to lead all players in both categories. He was joined in double figures by Keli Leaupepe with 16 points, and Chance Stephens with 11. Leaupepe also had nine rebounds, just missing out on a double double.

The first half was back and forth with neither team grabbing a major advantage. There were seven lead changes and eight ties in the opening 20 minutes with Tulsa's largest lead of four coming at the 11:23 mark, and LMU grabbing a six-point lead twice.

The teams matched each other point for point in the opening six minutes of the game as Griffin scored six of Tulsa's first eight points. The Lions took the lead for the first time 11-8 on a fast break 3-pointer off a Tulsa turnover, but Betson responded with a pull up triple of his own and followed with a jumper and layup to give Tulsa the 17-13 lead with 11:23 to play.

Following a few ties and lead changes, LMU boosted its lead to six, 31-25, but Tulsa fought back to cut the lead to 31-29 before Jesaiah McWright knocked down the first triple of his young Hurricane career to give TU its last lead of the night, 32-31.

A 7-0 LMU run gave the Lions the lead before Pritchard connected on a long 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the half to send the teams to the locker room with LMU leading 38-35.

Pritchard had nine first half points to pace Tulsa. The Hurricane shot 13-of-26 (50 percent) in the opening half and knocked down three of its six 3-point attempts (50 percent).

The second half began with both teams hitting a shot, but then the Lions went on a 16-6 run to push its lead out to 13 at the 11:22 mark. Tulsa wouldn't get the lead under 10 the rest of the way.

LMU would eventually reach a game-high 19-point lead, 76-57, with 2:56 to play. From there, Tulsa would close on a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws from BB Knight, a second 3-pointer from McWright and a reverse layup from Peyton Urbancic off a McWright assist.

The Hurricane will have a few days off for Christmas before returning to the Donald W. Reynolds Center to open the conference season. Tulsa will welcome No. 3 Houston on Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. The game will air on either ESPNU or ESPN 2.