Tulsa Basketball Falls To Stephen F. Austin

Tulsa fell to Stephen F. Austin, 57-41, Saturday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The Golden Hurricane fell to 4-2 on the season, while the Lumberjacks improved to 4-0. TU freshman James Woodard totaled 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the Hurricane, which shot 31 percent from the field. SFA, which shot 47 percent from the floor, was led by Taylor Smith, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

"There's no silver lining in a loss. We have to get better. We have to get back to playing the way we played early in the season, which is together while moving the ball," Tulsa head coach Danny Manning said. "We had no fast break points. That's not who we are. We're supposed to defend, give up one contested shot, and get out in transition. That's not how we played tonight."

Stephen F. Austin jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Tulsa cut the deficit to three points, at 13-10, by the 9:49 mark. The Lumberjacks, however, hit a three-pointer to go back up by six, and led by 10 points at halftime, 28-18.

It was the fewest points the Hurricane scored in a half at home since Feb. 10, 2010, when it scored 17 in the first period of a 60-52 win over Southern Miss.

SFA extended its lead to 14 points with a pair of buckets to start the second half. Down, 33-20, Tulsa used a 10-4 spurt to pull within seven points, but that was as close as it would get the remainder of the contest. SFA scored the next two baskets to extend its lead back to 11 points, and took a 55-39 lead with 1:36 left on a basket by Jacob Parker, who totaled 16 points for the Lumberjacks.

The Golden Hurricane returns to the court Wednesday when it travels to former conference rival Wichita State for a 7 p.m. contest.