Tulsa Throttles Florida International for Second Win

Originally Published: Nov 15, 2009 5:48 PM CDT

Curt Hill and JB Long
Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Oklahoma – Two days after a 25-point win, the Tulsa men’s basketball team topped that performance with an 81-49 victory over Isaiah Thomas and Florida International. Several times during the second half, Thomas appeared to be motioning to Tulsa head coach Doug Wojcik asking when he was going to pull his starters with the Golden Hurricane up by more than 30 points.

Starting guard Ben Uzoh led the way again for TU with a game-high 20 points. Uzoh only made three field goals, but hit 13 of his 14 attempts at the free throw line. Justin Hurtt added 16 points and Jerome Jordan also reached double digits with 12.

"It was a very good effort by our guys. I'm really proud of them," Wojcik said. "I thought they had great defensive intensity. We improved in several areas, certainly with the free throw shooting and the rebounding."

After a Golden Panther bucket made the score 7-5 four minutes into the game, the Golden Hurricane went on a 29-8 run and went into the half up 36-20. That lead swelled to 37 in the second half with a pair Shane Heirman free throws and Tulsa cruised from that point.

The combination of cold shooting and good defense by Tulsa led to a miserable shooting performance by FIU. The Golden Panthers were held to 15 field goals on 23 percent shooting. The Golden Hurricane also outrebounded FIU 54-31, eliminating several chances for second chance points.

“(Jerome) Jordan is a load. He’s definitely a pro-potential player," Thomas said. “They executed well, they shot the ball well, they defend well, they rebound. This is a team that has the potential of going far and playing in March.”