Golden Hurricane downs UTEP in defensive battle
BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Thursday, January 17, 2013
1/17/13 at 9:11 AM
A fan of defensive basketball might have viewed UTEP-Tulsa as having been a masterpiece.
A fan of offensive basketball might have requested a refund on the cost of the ticket.
During the final minute of Wednesday's Conference USA contest at the Reynolds Center, the Golden Hurricane committed four backcourt turnovers against UTEP's pressure - and TU still managed to prevail 45-42.
UTEP guard Konner Tucker, a Sapulpa native who attended high school in Fort Worth, Texas, misfired on a 3-point attempt as time expired.
Reflecting on his players' dysfunction against the Miner press, Tulsa coach Danny Manning said, "We probably should have just punted it. It was ugly, no question. But we were still able to grind it out."
In the 15-season history of the Reynolds Center, the combined total of 87 points is the lowest ever in a men's game. The previous lowest total was 93 points. In the 2008 opener, the Hurricane defeated Oral Roberts 50-43.
Senior Kauri Black scored 11 points and freshman James Woodard added 10 as the Hurricane improved to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in C-USA. Although Scottie Haralson was scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting from the field, his effort on the defensive end contributed to a miserable night for the Miners.
"Scottie didn't score tonight, but I thought he played a great game," Manning said. "We don't win this game without Scottie playing post defense the way he played it."
UTEP was consistent, shooting 8-of-26 during the first half and 8-of-25 after halftime. Overall, the Miners (9-7, 2-1 in league play) shot 31.4 percent from the field and 4-of-20 from 3-point range. Center John Bohannon (11 points and nine rebounds) was the only Miner with a double-digit scoring total.
"(The Hurricane) are guarding as hard as any team we've played against all year," UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. "We've played, to this point, the strongest schedule in the country. The shooting percentage is a reflection of their intensity (and) their defense. The fact that they didn't foul. Didn't put us at the line. They are undersized, but they proved that it has no bearing on the ability to go back and defensive rebound."
While committing 16 turnovers, Tulsa shot 40 percent from the field. In spite of being the smaller team, the Hurricane had a rebounding advantage that equaled the final score: 45-42.
On Saturday, TU visits Tulane for a 1 p.m. conference test.
With 3:25 left to play on Wednesday, Shaq Harrison executed a perfect low-post entry pass to freshman forward Zeldric King, and King converted on the layup that gave the Hurricane a 40-34 lead.
At the 1:55 mark, Tucker's 3-pointer pulled the Miners to within 40-38. Entering the final minute, Tulsa had a four-point edge. It was then that TU unraveled against UTEP's trapping press. After a pair of TU turnovers, Chris Washburn got a dunk to make it a two-point difference.
UTEP countered Tulsa's mistakes with turnovers of its own. While TU committed four turnovers within a span of 50 seconds, the Miners committed a traveling violation and got whistled for a five-second violation on an attempt to inbound the basketball.
During the wild and messy final minute, Tulsa broke UTEP's press only once - when Haralson lofted a pass to Harrison, and Harrison tipped the ball to King. Drawing a foul from Julian Washburn while scoring on a layup, King sank the free throw to complete the 3-point play and give TU a 45-40 lead.
After Bohannon scored with 9.5 seconds remaining, TU committed yet another turnover. It led to Tucker's 3-point try, but the ball struck the back iron and bounced away as the clock rolled to zeroes.
In 14 of the last 18 UTEP-TU games played in Tulsa, the Hurricane has prevailed.
TU up next
At Tulane 1 p.m. Saturday
TV: CST-269
Notebook, boxscore B7
Original Print Headline: TU finds a way
Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
TU's James Woodard tries to get around UTEP's Jacques Streeter during Wednesday's game. TU defeated UTEP 45-42. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World
TU's James Woodard tries to get around UTEP's Jacques Streeter during Wednesday's game. TU defeated UTEP 45-42. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World
TU's Zeldric Harrison looks to pass while UTEP's Jacques Streeter (left) defends. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World
TU's Scottie Haralson celebrates after the Golden Hurricane defeated UTEP on Wednesday. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World
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