Tulsa's Conference USA Run Ends with Loss to UTEP

The Golden Hurricane went on a late scoring spurt, but it was not enough to overcome a slow offensive start.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:34 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa's Conference USA Run Ends with Loss to UTEP

Originally Published: Mar 12, 2010 5:40 PM CDT

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Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A late run could not save the Tulsa men from a rough shooting night, and the Golden Hurricane fell 75-61 to UTEP in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament Friday.

TU struggled to make its shots from the opening tip-off and finished the first half shooting just 35 percent from the floor. The Golden Hurricane trailed by 10 at the half, and UTEP went on a 14-4 run to start the second half to stretch its lead to 20.

The Miners held a commanding lead for most of the second half as Tulsa continued to struggle, but the Hurricane’s offense finally caught fire in the game’s final six minutes. It went on a 16-6 run to cut the lead to single digits, but by then it was so late TU was forced to foul.

UTEP converted all of its free throws as time wound down, and Tulsa missed its final three shots to seal the loss.

Justin Hurtt led all scorers with 22 points, but was one of the only bright spots for the TU offense. Jerome Jordan scored 11, but no other Hurricane player scored in double digits. Randy Culpepper scored 21 points to lead UTEP, while Arnett Moultrie scored 18 points and Christian Polk added 13 off the bench.

The loss ends Tulsa’s hopes for a run to the NCAA Tournament, while UTEP will move on to the finals to face Houston.