Golden Hurricane Bench Steps up in Victory

Tulsa cruised by UAB 78-62 for second conference win.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:09 pm

By: News On 6

Golden Hurricane Bench Steps up in Victory

Originally Published: Jan 15, 2011 9:30 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Okla. – Solid shooting and a strong showing from its bench helped Tulsa sail to a 78-62 win against the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Friday.

Though only three players saw time off the bench for the Golden Hurricane – Kodi Maduka, Joe Richard and Jordan Clarkson – they combined for 22 points and 16 rebounds.

Tulsa’s bench nearly outrebounded the entire UAB roster, which grabbed only 17 boards the whole game.

The Golden Hurricane trailed early as UAB’s Cameron Moore hit a layup four minutes in to put his team up 9-5.

Tulsa exploded with an 18-2 run over the next nine minutes to grab a 12-point lead, but ended up leading by just five at the half.

The Dragons pulled to within four with 5:33 to play, but the Golden Hurricane outscored them 20-8 to finish the game out and come away with their second conference victory.

TU shot 54 percent from the floor as guard Justin Hurtt led the way with 17 points. Forward Steven Idlet added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

The Golden Hurricane (9-8, 2-1) will hit the road to take on the Houston Cougars on Wednesday at 6 p.m.