Rice 59, Tulsa 56

HOUSTON (AP) _ Mike Wilks scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers and all seven of his free throws, as Rice defeated Tulsa 59-56 Thursday night. <br><br>The Owls (13-12, 5-8 WAC) were leading 56-44

Friday, February 23rd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HOUSTON (AP) _ Mike Wilks scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers and all seven of his free throws, as Rice defeated Tulsa 59-56 Thursday night.

The Owls (13-12, 5-8 WAC) were leading 56-44 with 6:54 left but Tulsa closed the gap to 56-55 with 1:39 left on the strength of a 9-0 run.

Erik Cooper put Rice back up by two with a free throw. Tulsa's Charlie Davis hit a free throw and the Golden Hurricane fouled Wilks with 12 seconds left. He sank both free throws for the final margin.

A 3-point try by Antonio Reed with two seconds left bounced off the rim.

The victory was Rice's first against Tulsa since Jan. 11, 1998, and ended a seven-game losing string against Tulsa (17-9, 8-5).

Shawn Tyndell scored 13 points for Rice and Cooper added 10 points.

Tulsa's Kevin Johnson had 15 points and Dante Swanson added 13.