Tulsa Drops Wednesday Night Contest at North Texas
2/19/2025 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON, Texas – A cold night from the floor hampered any attempt for Tulsa to overcome an early deficit as the Golden Hurricane trailed wire-to-wire in a 63-44 loss at The Super Pit on Wednesday evening.
Tulsa (11-16, 5-9 The American) snapped a two-game winning streak while North Texas (19-6, 10-3 The American) won its third straight game in its quest to catch the league leading Memphis Tigers.
North Texas built an early 6-0 lead that was that was above 10 just eight minutes into the game. The Mean Green would lead by as many as 16 in the opening stanza and go to the lockers up 11. A 6-0 run from Tulsa to open the second half got the Hurricane within five, but two minutes later the lead was back to 11, 39-28. With a jumper at the at the 8:24 mark, North Texas pushed the lead back above 10 for the final time, taking a 45-34 lead.
Never finding a rhythm offensively, Tulsa shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and made only 4-of-23 3-pointers at a 17.4 percent clip. The Hurricane also turned it over 13 times, leading to 13 UNT points. Tulsa's 44 points was a season low, and TU's 19 points in the first half also was the worst for the first half in any game this season.
Jared Garcia was the lone Hurricane in double figures, scoring 14. Isaiah Barnes pulled down 10 rebounds but had just four points. Dwon Odom added a team-high five assists with his nine points. Tyshawn Archie and Keaston Willis scored eight and six.
The Mean Green shot 41.5 percent from the field and also made four 3-pointers, at a slightly better 20 percent rate. Six of North Texas' 22 field goals came on dunks, four on layups and an overall 15 were in the lane. UNT also dominated the glass, outrebounding Tulsa 39-27, including 9-2 on the offensive end.
Moulaye Sissoko paced UNT with a game-high 27 points. He was 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. Atin Wright also scored in double figures with 15 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
North Texas opened with the game's first six points. The Mean Green got two dunks in the opening minutes, including one off the opening tip's possession, and forced TU into three early turnovers.
Jared Garcia stopped the run and halved the lead with a triple for Tulsa's first points. The Mean Green responded with their first 3-pointer to take a 9-3 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:25 mark.
Tulsa's rebounding and turnovers caused issues for the Hurricane in the opening half as UNT's lead blossomed to 10, 17-7 at the under 12 media timeout. Tulsa was outrebounded 10-3 in the first nine minutes of the game, which included five offensive rebounds for the Mean Green. TU turned it over four times in that same span, all on steals.
UNT extended its lead to 23-7 before a Tyshawn Archie jumper ended a 9-0 North Texas run. Both teams hit a lull offensively, with the Golden Hurricane going more than four minutes without a point. North Texas also went nearly minutes without a field, missing six straight shots and turning it over twice.
Archie ended the scoring drought with a pair of free throws. After North Texas knocked down a jumper, Odom ended Tulsa's field goal drought of more than five minutes with a jumper in the lane. He ended a streak of five straight misses and a stretch where Tulsa hit just one of its past nine shots. His shot cut the deficit to 25-13 with 3:09 left in the half.
Willis knocked down his first triple for Tulsa's last field goal off the half. Odom and Archie combined for three free throws and TU slightly outscored the hosts 6-5 to go into the half down 30-19.
The Hurricane shot just 30 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from 3-point range, making just six shots and two triples in the opening half. The Mean Green were a slightly better 38.5 percent from the floor, making 10 shots, and three 3-pointers at a 23.1 percent rate. TU was outrebounded 20-12 and turned it over seven times to North Texas' four.
Jared Garcia scored seven to lead Tulsa in scoring in the opening half. North Texas was powered by Moulaye Sissoko's 14 points. The senior forward was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor in the first stanza.
IN THE SECOND HALF …
The Hurricane returned copied North Texas from the first half, opening the second with six straight points. Barnes knocked down a straightaway triple off the feed from Odom. Odom then called his own number with a driving layup before Barnes knocked down one of two from the foul line.
The Mean Green answered the Tulsa run with a 6-0 of their own to push the advantage back to double digits, 36-25. Garcia ended the run with a layup. Archie then got a steal and was fouled going for a layup. He split a pair of free throws to get TU back within eight, 36-28 with 15 minutes remaining.
North Texas outscored Tulsa 7-1 over the next two minutes to get the lead to 14, 43-29. Archie ended the quick run with a fastbreak finish at the rim off a Braeden Carrington steal to get TU within 12 at the 11:28 media timeout.
Carrington put an end to a 1-of-8 streak for Tulsa with a 3-pointer to get the lead back under double figures. North Texas ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought with a jumper at the 8:24 mark to take a 45-34 lead with 8:24 remaining.
Tulsa would score just three points over the next 4:56 before Willis made a pair of free throws. North Texas scored eight in that stretch to go ahead 53-39 with 3:29 to play.
From there, the Mean Green outscored Tulsa 10-5 to take the 63-44 win.
GAME NOTES
• Tulsa falls to 40-14
• The Hurricane is 17-11 against the Mean Green in Denton.
• 44 is Tulsa's lowest output of the season and first time to fail to reach 50.
• Jared Garcia scored in double figures for the 7th time this season and 24th of his career.
• Isaiah Barnes recorded 10+ rebounds for the second time this season and third in his career.
• Keaston Willis has 76 made 3-pointers this season and 376 for his career, putting him alone in 49th on the NCAA all-time list.
• With five assists tonight, Odom increases his league leading total to 144 for the season.
The Golden Hurricane stays on the road for a Saturday contest at Rice. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Tulsa (11-16, 5-9 The American) snapped a two-game winning streak while North Texas (19-6, 10-3 The American) won its third straight game in its quest to catch the league leading Memphis Tigers.
North Texas built an early 6-0 lead that was that was above 10 just eight minutes into the game. The Mean Green would lead by as many as 16 in the opening stanza and go to the lockers up 11. A 6-0 run from Tulsa to open the second half got the Hurricane within five, but two minutes later the lead was back to 11, 39-28. With a jumper at the at the 8:24 mark, North Texas pushed the lead back above 10 for the final time, taking a 45-34 lead.
Never finding a rhythm offensively, Tulsa shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and made only 4-of-23 3-pointers at a 17.4 percent clip. The Hurricane also turned it over 13 times, leading to 13 UNT points. Tulsa's 44 points was a season low, and TU's 19 points in the first half also was the worst for the first half in any game this season.
Jared Garcia was the lone Hurricane in double figures, scoring 14. Isaiah Barnes pulled down 10 rebounds but had just four points. Dwon Odom added a team-high five assists with his nine points. Tyshawn Archie and Keaston Willis scored eight and six.
The Mean Green shot 41.5 percent from the field and also made four 3-pointers, at a slightly better 20 percent rate. Six of North Texas' 22 field goals came on dunks, four on layups and an overall 15 were in the lane. UNT also dominated the glass, outrebounding Tulsa 39-27, including 9-2 on the offensive end.
Moulaye Sissoko paced UNT with a game-high 27 points. He was 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. Atin Wright also scored in double figures with 15 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
North Texas opened with the game's first six points. The Mean Green got two dunks in the opening minutes, including one off the opening tip's possession, and forced TU into three early turnovers.
Jared Garcia stopped the run and halved the lead with a triple for Tulsa's first points. The Mean Green responded with their first 3-pointer to take a 9-3 lead into the first media timeout at the 15:25 mark.
Tulsa's rebounding and turnovers caused issues for the Hurricane in the opening half as UNT's lead blossomed to 10, 17-7 at the under 12 media timeout. Tulsa was outrebounded 10-3 in the first nine minutes of the game, which included five offensive rebounds for the Mean Green. TU turned it over four times in that same span, all on steals.
UNT extended its lead to 23-7 before a Tyshawn Archie jumper ended a 9-0 North Texas run. Both teams hit a lull offensively, with the Golden Hurricane going more than four minutes without a point. North Texas also went nearly minutes without a field, missing six straight shots and turning it over twice.
Archie ended the scoring drought with a pair of free throws. After North Texas knocked down a jumper, Odom ended Tulsa's field goal drought of more than five minutes with a jumper in the lane. He ended a streak of five straight misses and a stretch where Tulsa hit just one of its past nine shots. His shot cut the deficit to 25-13 with 3:09 left in the half.
Willis knocked down his first triple for Tulsa's last field goal off the half. Odom and Archie combined for three free throws and TU slightly outscored the hosts 6-5 to go into the half down 30-19.
The Hurricane shot just 30 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from 3-point range, making just six shots and two triples in the opening half. The Mean Green were a slightly better 38.5 percent from the floor, making 10 shots, and three 3-pointers at a 23.1 percent rate. TU was outrebounded 20-12 and turned it over seven times to North Texas' four.
Jared Garcia scored seven to lead Tulsa in scoring in the opening half. North Texas was powered by Moulaye Sissoko's 14 points. The senior forward was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor in the first stanza.
IN THE SECOND HALF …
The Hurricane returned copied North Texas from the first half, opening the second with six straight points. Barnes knocked down a straightaway triple off the feed from Odom. Odom then called his own number with a driving layup before Barnes knocked down one of two from the foul line.
The Mean Green answered the Tulsa run with a 6-0 of their own to push the advantage back to double digits, 36-25. Garcia ended the run with a layup. Archie then got a steal and was fouled going for a layup. He split a pair of free throws to get TU back within eight, 36-28 with 15 minutes remaining.
North Texas outscored Tulsa 7-1 over the next two minutes to get the lead to 14, 43-29. Archie ended the quick run with a fastbreak finish at the rim off a Braeden Carrington steal to get TU within 12 at the 11:28 media timeout.
Carrington put an end to a 1-of-8 streak for Tulsa with a 3-pointer to get the lead back under double figures. North Texas ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought with a jumper at the 8:24 mark to take a 45-34 lead with 8:24 remaining.
Tulsa would score just three points over the next 4:56 before Willis made a pair of free throws. North Texas scored eight in that stretch to go ahead 53-39 with 3:29 to play.
From there, the Mean Green outscored Tulsa 10-5 to take the 63-44 win.
GAME NOTES
• Tulsa falls to 40-14
• The Hurricane is 17-11 against the Mean Green in Denton.
• 44 is Tulsa's lowest output of the season and first time to fail to reach 50.
• Jared Garcia scored in double figures for the 7th time this season and 24th of his career.
• Isaiah Barnes recorded 10+ rebounds for the second time this season and third in his career.
• Keaston Willis has 76 made 3-pointers this season and 376 for his career, putting him alone in 49th on the NCAA all-time list.
• With five assists tonight, Odom increases his league leading total to 144 for the season.
The Golden Hurricane stays on the road for a Saturday contest at Rice. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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