Little Rock Stays Perfect with 64-60 Win at Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. – Little Rock matched a program record by starting the season 5-0 with a 64-60 win over Tulsa (4-2) on Saturday at the Reynolds Center. The Trojans trailed by as many as 15 in the first half and were down nine at halftime, but outscored Tulsa 40-27 after the break and shot 63.6 percent from the floor after intermission.
 
"I'm really proud of those guys," head coach Chris Beard said after the win. "We told those guys in the recruiting process and in practice that we're going to write a new story for Little Rock basketball. Nights like tonight speed up the story. I'm just happy for the program, the fans. I have a lot of respect for Tulsa. That's what makes this victory so good … to come in here tonight and compete, that speaks highly of our team."
 
Tulsa was shooting better than 57 percent with eight minutes remaining in the first half, but finished the game shooting 39.2 percent from the floor after an 8-of-25 effort in the second half. The Hurricane's 60 points scored were a season low.
 
Josh Hagins nearly finished with a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Hagins finished the game shooting 6 of 10 from the floor and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Jalen Jackson added 12 points off the bench for Little Rock.
 
The Trojans trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, but outscored the Hurricane 13-7 over the final 6:58 of the first half to get the deficit to single digits heading into the locker room. Little Rock picked up where it left off after halftime, scoring the first 12 points out of the break to go up 36-33. All told, it was a 25-7 run for the Trojans that spanned nearly 14 minutes over the end of the first half and start of the second.
 
The lead would change hands multiple times over the remainder of the game. Tulsa went up four, 42-38, on a 3-pointer by Rashad Ray with 11:32 to go. Little Rock scored the next four points to regain the lead, but the Hurricane went back up 47-46 on a 3-point play by Marquel Curtis with 8:36 to play.
 
Little Rock took the lead on a triple by Kemy Osse with 7:48 to go, and Tulsa would not pull ahead again. The Hurricane tied the game at 49-all on free throws by D'Andre Wright with 7:34 left, but Little Rock scored the next four points and Tulsa pulled no closer than two the rest of the way.
 
James Woodard led four Tulsa players in double figures with 16 points.
 
A 12-3 run helped Tulsa build a 15-7 lead midway through the opening half. TU's lead grew as large as 15 at 26-11 after a bucket by Rashad Ray with 6:58 to play in the half. Little Rock answered by scoring four straight points and six of the next seven overall. The Trojans won the final 6:58 13-7 to bring the margin to nine, 33-24 heading into halftime.
 
Little Rock returns to action on Tuesday night at the Jack Stephens Center when it hosts Central Arkansas for its first #PackTheJack night of the season. Tipoff is 7 p.m.