Epic Comeback Comes Up Just Short, Tulsa Falls in Overtime of NIT Finals to Auburn

Sunday, April 5

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 p.m.

Tulsa

30-8,13-5American

Auburn

22-16,7-11SEC

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Tulsa

Auburn

Epic Comeback Comes Up Just Short, Tulsa Falls in Overtime of NIT Finals to Auburn

4/5/2026 11:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS — Trailing by as many as 21 in the opening half, Tulsa staged an epic comeback in the second half to force overtime but ultimately fell in the NIT Finals to Auburn, 92-86, on Sunday in Indianapolis. Tulsa's season ends with 30 wins, the second most in program history.

David Green led the offense with 25 points, along with six rebounds and a pair of blocks in his final collegiate game. Tylen Riley added 20 points while Ade Popoola also finished in double figures with 13.

The Golden Hurricane came out of the gates cold and saw Auburn build a 21-point lead, 34-13, with 7:45 to play in the opening half. Jaylen Lawal answered with a three which seemingly took the lid off the basket for Tulsa. The teams traded blows and Tulsa went into the locker room trailing 48-31.

Auburn pushed the lead up to 20 out of the locker room before the Tulsa offense caught fire. Popoola scored four straight and Myles Rigsby followed with a layup to get the team back to within 16. The next six points were scored by Green before Riley got Tulsa back within single digits with 12:58 to play. A pair of Green free throws cut it to six, which Auburn responded with two of its own.

Back-to-back threes by Green and Miles Barnstable made it a one-possession game at 59-57. Tulsa tied the game on two free throws by Green, followed by two from Riley, and erased a 20-point second half deficit in less than 10 minutes.

The teams traded buckets and were even at 71 when Riley sunk a pair of free throws with 2:03 to play for the lead. Popoola followed with a three to make it 76-71 with 1:05 to play, but Auburn outscored Tulsa 7-2 in the final minute of play to send the game to overtime. In the overtime period, Tulsa was outscored 14-8 and couldn't get to the free throw line while Auburn went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to seal the game.

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.