Tulsa Tops UTEP For First Conference Win

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane notched its first Conference USA victory of the season with a 59-48 win over UTEP Wednesday night.

A big defensive effort in the final nine minutes of the game helped Tulsa to the win. The Golden Hurricane held the Miners to a mere eight points in the final 9:51.

Kodi Maduka and Eric McClellan each scored 14 points for Tulsa while Jordan Clarkson added 10 points.

The Golden Hurricane had ups and downs in the first half, but went on a 13-2 run at the end of the opening half to gain control.

At the break, Tulsa led 28-22 on 47.6 percent shooting from the field while the Miners converted 36 percent of their field goals.

In the second, neither team found the net outside of the paint, and at one point the Golden Hurricane lost the lead 41-40.

It was the TU defense that stepped in to made the difference. In the final quarter of the game, UTEP only scored eight points while Tulsa stepped out to its largest lead of the game en route to the 59-48 win.

TU moves to 8-9 overall and 1-2 in conference play while UTEP is now 8-9, 1-2.

The Miners were led by Michael Perez who tallied 14 points and four rebounds. UTEP finished 47.8 percent from the field.

The Golden Hurricane shot 43.5 percent from the field in the game and had only one turnover.

The Hurricane will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 14 at East Carolina at 12 p.m.