Tuesday, January 21
7 p.m.
Tulsa
8-11,2-4AAC
76
vs
85
East Carolina
11-9,3-4AAC
1
2
OT 1
F
East Carolina
33
36
16
85
Tulsa
40
29
7
76
Photo by: Bill Powell
Tulsa Drops Overtime Game to East Carolina
1/21/2025 11:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TULSA, Okla. – Dwon Odom's free throws sent the game to overtime, but the University of Tulsa men's basketball team settled for an 85-76 loss to East Carolina in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Tuesday evening.
The Hurricane falls to 8-11 on the season and 2-4 in the American Athletic Conference, while East Carolina improves to 11-9 and 3-4 in The American. This was Tulsa's second straight loss in conference play and ECU's second win in as many games.
Tulsa had a chance to win the game in regulation following an East Carolina turnover with 1.5 seconds remaining. Inbounding from the frontcourt boundary near the TU bench, Jesaiah McWright found Jared Garcia on a lob, but his effort from the baseline was long and the game moved to the extra period tied at 69.
The extra period belonged to the Pirates, who used an early 8-1 run to take command of the game. From there, East Carolina matched Tulsa's baskets and was perfect from the foul line.
Odom scored 19 to lead the Golden Hurricane in scoring. The graduate guard completed his third double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Tulsa also got a boost from the two who recently returned from in jury in Garcia and Isaiah Barnes, who each scored 15. Keaston Willis added 13 with three 3-pointers. Barnes also knocked down a trio of threes.
For the Pirates, senior guards Jordan Riley and RJ Felton combined for 51 points and six 3-pointers. Riley led the way with 27 and added seven rebounds. Felton grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished five assists.
The Hurricane shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the floor on Tuesday and hit seven 3-pointers at a 29.2 percent clip. Tulsa improved from Saturday's effort at the foul line, knocking down 15-of-20 (75 percent). The Pirates knocked down 49.1 percent (28-of-57) of its efforts and made 11-of-27 (40.7) from long range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
East Carolina jumped out to an early 11-5 lead, which would prove to be its only lead until late in the second half.
A 9-0 TU run helped the Hurricane take the lead for the remainder of the half. A floater from Dwon Odom and Keaston Willis 3-pointer opened the run. Forward Justin Amadi finished the stretch with a breakaway layup and then on the next possession knocking down a pair of free throws as Tulsa took the 14-11 advantage at the 14:07 mark.
ECU cut the lead to 20-19 at the under 12 media timeout. The Hurricane came out of the break with the next six points, the first four off free throws. Then, Isaiah Barnes jumped a pass and took it to the opposite end for a dunk. Tulsa eventually pushed the lead to a half-high nine points three times, the last with five minutes remaining in the half.
A 6-0 run from the Pirates got the Tulsa lead down to three before Odom pulled up for a jumper with 1:45 remaining to stop the bleeding. Garcia and Odom would each score a field goal in the final minute to sandwich an ECU bucket as the Hurricane took a 40-33 lead to the break.
Garcia led the way with 11 points in the opening half. Willis and Odom each had eight. It was the third-most points by the Hurricane in the first half this season. Tulsa hit 48.3 percent of its efforts form the floor and 40.0 percent of 3-pointers, knocking down 4-of-10. Tulsa held ECU to shooting percentages of 37 from the floor and 33.3 from deep, making five-of-15.
IN THE SECOND HALF …
Odom converted a traditional 3-point play to open the second period. After an ECU knocked down a pair of free throws, Willis was on target from 3-point range to push the lead to its largest of the night at 12, 46-34, with 17:04 remaining.
Tulsa's lead was nine, 53-44, at the 12:31 mark when the Hurricane went cold. Over the next nearly six minutes, Tulsa scored just two points on a Garcia layup. East Carolina scored 14 to take a 58-55 lead, its first since early in the opening minutes. Felton put an exclamation mark on the 14-2 run with a 3-pointer with 8:10 remaining.
Tulsa tied the game at 60 with 5:27 on the clock. An ECU 6-0 run looked to put the game in danger, but Tulsa responded with a 7-0 run from Barnes to retake the lead. Barnes knocked down two layups and then connected on a 3-pointer in the corner as the Hurricane jumped ahead 67-66 with 1:21 left.
After a pair of empty possessions for both teams, East Carolina had the ball with a little more than 30 seconds to play. Felton came up big for the Pirates with a straight away 3-pointer that found nothing but net and ECU led 69-67.
Tulsa missed its 3-point attempt on the other end and had to foul with just two seconds left. Felton missed the front end of the one-and-one, and on the rebound, Odom was fouled with 2.1 on the clock. The guard knocked down both clutch free throws to tie things at 69.
On the first inbounds attempt, Tulsa knocked it out of bounds with 1.5 to play. East Carolina then tried a full court heave, but it went straight out of bounds, giving TU possession in front of its bench. Jesaiah McWright found Garcia on the baseline, who tried to quickly put up a jumper, but his shot was long and the game went to overtime.
The Hurricane shot under 40 percent in the second half, knocking down 39.3 percent of its efforts and three 3-pointers at a 25 percent rate. On the other end, ECU was on fire, knocking down 60.9 percent of its shots and making 5-of-10 (50 percent) of its 3-pointers. Odom and Barnes each scored 10 for Tulsa. Felton and Riley came alive for ECU with 12 and 14, respectively.
IN OVERTIME…
The Pirates outscored Tulsa 16-9 in the five-minute period, as their hot shooting continued despite TU seemingly carrying the momentum. ECU knocked down 57.1 percent of its efforts, while Tulsa was just 2-of-6 (33.3 percent). The Pirates were 7-of-7 at the foul line, while Tulsa was 3-of-4.
TU never led in the extra stanza, only tying the game at 71 with a Garcia layup on Tulsa's first possession. From there, ECU gave itself some cushion with five straight points, including a traditional 3-point play from Riley.
Odom split a pair of free throws to get the lead to four, and Cam Hayes delivered the biggest shot of the night with a deep 3-pointer to put the Pirates up 79-72. Tulsa got the lead down to five with 47 seconds to play, but it wasn't enough as the Pirates got a breakout dunk and then secured the 85-76 win at the foul line.
GAME NOTES
• TU is 0-2 this season in overtime games.
• Tulsa leads the all-time series 23-10 against ECU.
• The Pirates have won seven in a row against the Hurricane.
• Braeden Carrington missed the game with an injury sustained midway through the second half at UTSA, his third straight game.
• Dwon Odom collected his third double-double of the season and second with points and rebounds.
• Odom scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and 67th in his career.
• This was Odom's second game this season with 10 or more rebounds.
• Isaiah Barnes scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and 19th in his career.
• Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and 99th in his
career.
• This was Garcia's second game this season to score in double figures and 15th of his career.
The Golden Hurricane remains at home this weekend as TU continues its bitter rivalry with Wichita State on Sunday in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
The Hurricane falls to 8-11 on the season and 2-4 in the American Athletic Conference, while East Carolina improves to 11-9 and 3-4 in The American. This was Tulsa's second straight loss in conference play and ECU's second win in as many games.
Tulsa had a chance to win the game in regulation following an East Carolina turnover with 1.5 seconds remaining. Inbounding from the frontcourt boundary near the TU bench, Jesaiah McWright found Jared Garcia on a lob, but his effort from the baseline was long and the game moved to the extra period tied at 69.
The extra period belonged to the Pirates, who used an early 8-1 run to take command of the game. From there, East Carolina matched Tulsa's baskets and was perfect from the foul line.
Odom scored 19 to lead the Golden Hurricane in scoring. The graduate guard completed his third double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Tulsa also got a boost from the two who recently returned from in jury in Garcia and Isaiah Barnes, who each scored 15. Keaston Willis added 13 with three 3-pointers. Barnes also knocked down a trio of threes.
For the Pirates, senior guards Jordan Riley and RJ Felton combined for 51 points and six 3-pointers. Riley led the way with 27 and added seven rebounds. Felton grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished five assists.
The Hurricane shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the floor on Tuesday and hit seven 3-pointers at a 29.2 percent clip. Tulsa improved from Saturday's effort at the foul line, knocking down 15-of-20 (75 percent). The Pirates knocked down 49.1 percent (28-of-57) of its efforts and made 11-of-27 (40.7) from long range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
East Carolina jumped out to an early 11-5 lead, which would prove to be its only lead until late in the second half.
A 9-0 TU run helped the Hurricane take the lead for the remainder of the half. A floater from Dwon Odom and Keaston Willis 3-pointer opened the run. Forward Justin Amadi finished the stretch with a breakaway layup and then on the next possession knocking down a pair of free throws as Tulsa took the 14-11 advantage at the 14:07 mark.
ECU cut the lead to 20-19 at the under 12 media timeout. The Hurricane came out of the break with the next six points, the first four off free throws. Then, Isaiah Barnes jumped a pass and took it to the opposite end for a dunk. Tulsa eventually pushed the lead to a half-high nine points three times, the last with five minutes remaining in the half.
A 6-0 run from the Pirates got the Tulsa lead down to three before Odom pulled up for a jumper with 1:45 remaining to stop the bleeding. Garcia and Odom would each score a field goal in the final minute to sandwich an ECU bucket as the Hurricane took a 40-33 lead to the break.
Garcia led the way with 11 points in the opening half. Willis and Odom each had eight. It was the third-most points by the Hurricane in the first half this season. Tulsa hit 48.3 percent of its efforts form the floor and 40.0 percent of 3-pointers, knocking down 4-of-10. Tulsa held ECU to shooting percentages of 37 from the floor and 33.3 from deep, making five-of-15.
IN THE SECOND HALF …
Odom converted a traditional 3-point play to open the second period. After an ECU knocked down a pair of free throws, Willis was on target from 3-point range to push the lead to its largest of the night at 12, 46-34, with 17:04 remaining.
Tulsa's lead was nine, 53-44, at the 12:31 mark when the Hurricane went cold. Over the next nearly six minutes, Tulsa scored just two points on a Garcia layup. East Carolina scored 14 to take a 58-55 lead, its first since early in the opening minutes. Felton put an exclamation mark on the 14-2 run with a 3-pointer with 8:10 remaining.
Tulsa tied the game at 60 with 5:27 on the clock. An ECU 6-0 run looked to put the game in danger, but Tulsa responded with a 7-0 run from Barnes to retake the lead. Barnes knocked down two layups and then connected on a 3-pointer in the corner as the Hurricane jumped ahead 67-66 with 1:21 left.
After a pair of empty possessions for both teams, East Carolina had the ball with a little more than 30 seconds to play. Felton came up big for the Pirates with a straight away 3-pointer that found nothing but net and ECU led 69-67.
Tulsa missed its 3-point attempt on the other end and had to foul with just two seconds left. Felton missed the front end of the one-and-one, and on the rebound, Odom was fouled with 2.1 on the clock. The guard knocked down both clutch free throws to tie things at 69.
On the first inbounds attempt, Tulsa knocked it out of bounds with 1.5 to play. East Carolina then tried a full court heave, but it went straight out of bounds, giving TU possession in front of its bench. Jesaiah McWright found Garcia on the baseline, who tried to quickly put up a jumper, but his shot was long and the game went to overtime.
The Hurricane shot under 40 percent in the second half, knocking down 39.3 percent of its efforts and three 3-pointers at a 25 percent rate. On the other end, ECU was on fire, knocking down 60.9 percent of its shots and making 5-of-10 (50 percent) of its 3-pointers. Odom and Barnes each scored 10 for Tulsa. Felton and Riley came alive for ECU with 12 and 14, respectively.
IN OVERTIME…
The Pirates outscored Tulsa 16-9 in the five-minute period, as their hot shooting continued despite TU seemingly carrying the momentum. ECU knocked down 57.1 percent of its efforts, while Tulsa was just 2-of-6 (33.3 percent). The Pirates were 7-of-7 at the foul line, while Tulsa was 3-of-4.
TU never led in the extra stanza, only tying the game at 71 with a Garcia layup on Tulsa's first possession. From there, ECU gave itself some cushion with five straight points, including a traditional 3-point play from Riley.
Odom split a pair of free throws to get the lead to four, and Cam Hayes delivered the biggest shot of the night with a deep 3-pointer to put the Pirates up 79-72. Tulsa got the lead down to five with 47 seconds to play, but it wasn't enough as the Pirates got a breakout dunk and then secured the 85-76 win at the foul line.
GAME NOTES
• TU is 0-2 this season in overtime games.
• Tulsa leads the all-time series 23-10 against ECU.
• The Pirates have won seven in a row against the Hurricane.
• Braeden Carrington missed the game with an injury sustained midway through the second half at UTSA, his third straight game.
• Dwon Odom collected his third double-double of the season and second with points and rebounds.
• Odom scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and 67th in his career.
• This was Odom's second game this season with 10 or more rebounds.
• Isaiah Barnes scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and 19th in his career.
• Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the 13th time this season and 99th in his
career.
• This was Garcia's second game this season to score in double figures and 15th of his career.
The Golden Hurricane remains at home this weekend as TU continues its bitter rivalry with Wichita State on Sunday in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Team Stats
ECU
Tulsa
FG%
.491
.429
3FG%
.407
.292
FT%
.857
.750
RB
38
32
TO
14
11
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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