SW Christian University @ Tulsa preview
Reynolds Center
Tulsa will seek its third straight win when it hosts Southwestern Christian University in a nonconference game Wednesday before continuing American Athletic Conference play Dec. 29 at home against No. 6 and undefeated Houston.
The Golden Hurricane (3-3) are coming off their biggest win of the season -- a 56-49 league victory at Memphis on Monday. Tulsa closed the game on an 18-5 run after trailing by six with 4:32 remaining.
Austin Richie led the Golden Hurricane in scoring with 14 off the bench, including 11 in the second half. Rey Idowu added 13 points and five rebounds.
Tulsa was even better defensively. The Golden Hurricane turned Memphis' 20 turnovers into 16 points. Tulsa also held Memphis to a season-low 32.1 percent (17 of 53) shooting from the field, as the Tigers made just five field goals in the second half.
The Golden Hurricane's defense overcame the team's poor offensive play in which Tulsa made just 17 of 49 attempts from the field (34.7 percent), including just five of 22 3-point attempts. Tulsa also missed 11 free throws.
"We just played with great toughness. We felt like we were always right there, and we just needed to continue to stay together," Tulsa coach Frank Haith said. "Obviously, shots were not falling, but our defense kept us where we needed to be."
Darien Jackson scored all nine of his points in the second half and Elijah Joiner scored all five of his points at the free throw line in the final 2:17 to secure the win.
This season, Brandon Rachal leads Tulsa in scoring (13.7) and rebounding (6.5), while Keyshawn Embery-Simpson is averaging 9.7 points and Joiner is averaging 9.5 points to go along with a team-high 4.2 assists per game.
Southwestern Christian (1-3), a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in the middle of Oklahoma that competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference, hasn't played since getting blown out by Oral Roberts, 111-58, Dec. 12.
The Eagles, who have lost their past three games, are led by Ron Washington, who averages a team-high 19.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game; Luiz Machado Jr., who averages 19.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game; and Khristien White, who averages 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 assists per game.
--Field Level Media