Woodard Leads Tulsa Past Tulane

The Tulsa men's basketball team moved to 20-7 on the overall season and 13-2 in the AAC after defeating Tulane at home on Wednesday night.

First Half

The Green Wave got on the board in the opening minute after sinking a couple of free throws. The Golden Hurricane quickly answered by working the defense until they found Brandon Swannegan under the basket. The two teams then continued to go back-and-forth, repeatedly tying up the game.

By the 15:14 mark, TU led by one (14-13) after Shaquille Harrison hit an easy two pointer on an assist from Rashad Ray. Tulane quickly regained the lead, after Louis Dabney knocked down a deep jumper.

With just three minutes before the half, James Woodard hit a three to give TU a one-point lead (23-22).

After two back-to-back defensive stops, Harrison and Smith laid in two impressive buckets, escalating Tulsa's lead 27-22 in the final two minutes.

The Golden Hurricane carried a 34-26 lead into the half. Woodard, Swannegan, and Rashad Smith led Tulsa in scoring with seven points each, while Dabney led all-scorers with 17.

Halftime Stats

Tulsa

FG: 11-25

3-Point: 1-8

FT: 11-14

Tulane

FG: 9-31

3-Point: 3-12

FT: 5-9

Second Half

The Golden Hurricane opened up the final half a lot better than the first. The team was making shots, forcing turnovers, and further flustering the Green Wave.

With 17 minutes on the board, Smith sank a three that ignited Tulsa's momentum. At this point, Tulsa had advanced its lead 42-28. Smith continued to stay lit, as he hammered a massive dunk on a fastbreak assist from Harrison.

With 13 minutes before the final, Tulane trailed 44-32. Although the Green Wave trailed, Dabney was on fire. Twenty-one of the teams 32 points belonged to him. It was definitely a one man show for the away team.

TU didn't slow down, as Woodard and Marquel Curtis knocked down back-to-back threes (with just under eight minutes). Woodard, also known as Juice, followed up with two more threes to advance TU's lead 66-41.

The two teams went on to exchange threes, before the Golden Hurricane took a 76-55 victory at the buzzer.

Woodard led Tulsa in scoring with 18 points, while Dabney led all-scorers with 32.

“Just seeing the ball go through the net just kind of sparked something,” said Woodard on his offensive success.

Final Stats

Tulsa

FG: 14-19

3-Point: 7-10

FT: 7-8

Tulane

FG: 10-30

3-Point: 4-14

FT: 5-8

Up Next

Tulsa returns to action Saturday with a road game against Memphis. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. “We have to have tremendous effort to have success in their building,” said TU head coach Frank Haith about his team's upcoming game.