Tulsa Men Use Late Run To Push Past East Carolina

A late 10-0 run propelled the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to a 79-72 win over East Carolina in quarterfinal action at the Conference USA tournament in Tulsa.

Tulsa trailed 65-63 with 3:05 remaining in the game before rallying behind solid defense and timely offense. After James Woodard miss a pair of free throws, Woodard grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Pat Swilling Jr. for a 3-pointer that gave Tulsa a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

East Carolina missed a pair of shots and turned the ball over three times during Tulsa's game-clinching run, one of which led to a breakaway slam by Shaquille Harrison that sent the partisan Tulsa crowd at the BOK Center into party mode.

The Pirates rallied to cut the deficit to three points twice in the last 30 seconds, but the Hurricane closed the game out at the free throw line.

Scottie Haralson led Tulsa with 22 points while Woodard chipped in with 17. Maurice Kemp led East Carolina with 24 points and Miguel Paul had 14.

The first half was a back and forth affair, with Tulsa grabbing an early seven-point lead. However, the Pirates battled back thanks to the outside shooting of Akeem Richmond and Paul to grab a 30-25 lead at the break.

East Carolina continued its hot shooting in the second half, establishing a 48-40 lead with 11:44 remaining on a Richmond 3. From there, the Golden Hurricane began to chip away, finally drawing close enough to make the final run.

Tulsa will face top-seeded Memphis in the semifinals Friday at 5:30 p.m.