Monday, November 6
7:00 PM
Tulsa
1-0,0-0AAC
70
vs
53
Central Arkansas
0-1,0-0ASUN
1
2
F
Central Ark.
27
26
53
Tulsa
33
37
70
Tulsa Gets Season-Opening Win Over UCA 70-53
11/6/2023 9:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery
TULSA, Okla. –– Four players scored in double-figures as Tulsa opened the season with a 70-53 victory over the Central Arkansas Bears Monday night in front of 2,770 fans at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Nine Tulsa players scored in the contest as graduate Cobe Williams led the way with 13 points. Redshirt freshman P.J. Haggerty followed with 12 points, while 11 points came from both sophomore Isaiah Barnes and true freshman Tyshawn Archie.
Haggerty also had team-highs of five assists and four steals, while Jared Garcia pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
"We've talked since the very beginning about a race to maturity. There are so many moments that we're going through with our young guys, that this is the first time. These are the type of basketball games that are so important to find a way to come out with. Give the University of Central Arkansas a lot of credit; they put you in a lot of tough spots. They have so much length. They have some guys who can shoot. Their point guard pushes it. I thought defensively we did some really nice things. Of course, we made some mistakes. But I thought our guys were very attentive leading up into what we needed to do to cover them," said Tulsa second-year Head Coach Eric Konkol.
"Offensively we're a work in progress. Taking care of the basketball is something we have to do a better job of. We've got to get better of taking care of it. We did in the second half and it extended our lead. I thought our second group really gave us a boost. I'm just really proud overall of our guys and the lift that our fans gave us here in the Reynolds Center tonight. It was great to be back here at home and to get this win," added Konkol.
Tulsa shot just 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range, but the Hurricane defense held the Bears to just 33 percent shooting and 30 percent from behind the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF . . .
Isaiah Barnes scored the first two points of the 2023-24 season for the Golden Hurricane with a driving layup.
After taking a 2-0 lead, Tulsa never trailed in the first half, leading by as few as one point at the 16:29 mark (6-5) and as many as nine points twice in the first 20 minutes.
Tulsa led 16-7 at the 13:02 mark when Tyshawn Archie connected on a 3-pointer and again by nine points when Archie's traditional three-point play gave Tulsa a 29-20 lead with 3:40 remaining in the half.
The Hurricane held on for a 33-27 halftime lead, as Cobe Williams led Tulsa with 11 points, while Archie added nine of the bench.
IN THE SECOND HALF . . .
Matt Reed had seven points in the first 4:07 of the second half, as his first collegiate points came on a 3-pointer.
Tulsa's lead didn't dip below nine points from the 13:46 mark of the half.
Carlous Williams 3-pointer at the 12:55 mark gave Tulsa a 48-35 lead, its largest in the first seven minutes.
With a 9-point lead, 62-53, at the 4:21 mark, Tulsa closed out the game on an 8-0 run for the 70-53 victory.
GAME NOTES
• This was the fourth meeting against UCA, as the series now stands at 4-0 for Tulsa.
• The Golden Hurricane is 70-42 in season openers and 18-6 in home openers t the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Cobe Williams had his 54th career double-figure scoring game, and his first in a Tulsa uniform … the first 53 came at LA Tech.
• Tulsa out-rebounded UCA 51-31 … not once a year ago did Tulsa have more than 45 rebounds in a game.
• The Hurricane outscored UCA in the paint 30-14.
Tulsa continues its four-game home-stand with a 2 p.m. matchup Saturday against Incarnate Word.
TULSA, Okla. –– Four players scored in double-figures as Tulsa opened the season with a 70-53 victory over the Central Arkansas Bears Monday night in front of 2,770 fans at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Nine Tulsa players scored in the contest as graduate Cobe Williams led the way with 13 points. Redshirt freshman P.J. Haggerty followed with 12 points, while 11 points came from both sophomore Isaiah Barnes and true freshman Tyshawn Archie.
Haggerty also had team-highs of five assists and four steals, while Jared Garcia pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
"We've talked since the very beginning about a race to maturity. There are so many moments that we're going through with our young guys, that this is the first time. These are the type of basketball games that are so important to find a way to come out with. Give the University of Central Arkansas a lot of credit; they put you in a lot of tough spots. They have so much length. They have some guys who can shoot. Their point guard pushes it. I thought defensively we did some really nice things. Of course, we made some mistakes. But I thought our guys were very attentive leading up into what we needed to do to cover them," said Tulsa second-year Head Coach Eric Konkol.
"Offensively we're a work in progress. Taking care of the basketball is something we have to do a better job of. We've got to get better of taking care of it. We did in the second half and it extended our lead. I thought our second group really gave us a boost. I'm just really proud overall of our guys and the lift that our fans gave us here in the Reynolds Center tonight. It was great to be back here at home and to get this win," added Konkol.
Tulsa shot just 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three-point range, but the Hurricane defense held the Bears to just 33 percent shooting and 30 percent from behind the arc.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF . . .
Isaiah Barnes scored the first two points of the 2023-24 season for the Golden Hurricane with a driving layup.
After taking a 2-0 lead, Tulsa never trailed in the first half, leading by as few as one point at the 16:29 mark (6-5) and as many as nine points twice in the first 20 minutes.
Tulsa led 16-7 at the 13:02 mark when Tyshawn Archie connected on a 3-pointer and again by nine points when Archie's traditional three-point play gave Tulsa a 29-20 lead with 3:40 remaining in the half.
The Hurricane held on for a 33-27 halftime lead, as Cobe Williams led Tulsa with 11 points, while Archie added nine of the bench.
IN THE SECOND HALF . . .
Matt Reed had seven points in the first 4:07 of the second half, as his first collegiate points came on a 3-pointer.
Tulsa's lead didn't dip below nine points from the 13:46 mark of the half.
Carlous Williams 3-pointer at the 12:55 mark gave Tulsa a 48-35 lead, its largest in the first seven minutes.
With a 9-point lead, 62-53, at the 4:21 mark, Tulsa closed out the game on an 8-0 run for the 70-53 victory.
GAME NOTES
• This was the fourth meeting against UCA, as the series now stands at 4-0 for Tulsa.
• The Golden Hurricane is 70-42 in season openers and 18-6 in home openers t the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
• Cobe Williams had his 54th career double-figure scoring game, and his first in a Tulsa uniform … the first 53 came at LA Tech.
• Tulsa out-rebounded UCA 51-31 … not once a year ago did Tulsa have more than 45 rebounds in a game.
• The Hurricane outscored UCA in the paint 30-14.
Tulsa continues its four-game home-stand with a 2 p.m. matchup Saturday against Incarnate Word.
Team Stats
UCA
Tulsa
FG%
.333
.400
3FG%
.300
.276
FT%
.583
.700
RB
31
51
TO
12
18
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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