Tulsa eliminates Cincinnati: Hurricane to the "Sweet 16"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Another second-round meltdown for Cincinnati. <br><br>Eric Coley had 16 points and 16 rebounds Sunday, leading seventh-seeded Tulsa past second-seeded Cincinnati 69-61 in the South Regional.

Sunday, March 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Another second-round meltdown for Cincinnati.

Eric Coley had 16 points and 16 rebounds Sunday, leading seventh-seeded Tulsa past second-seeded Cincinnati 69-61 in the South Regional.

Playing without injured All-American Kenyon Martin, the Bearcats wiped out a 16-point deficit to take a five-point lead in the second half only to have Tulsa take the game right back.

With Cincinnati leading 50-45 on a rally fueled mostly by Ryan Fletcher, who was playing in place of Martin, Tulsa took off. Dante Swanson's 3-pointer touched off a 14-0 run for the Golden Hurricane, who won their 31st game of the season, tops in the country.

With Greg Harrington, who was saddled with three early fouls and sat most of the first half, back in the game, Tulsa beat Cincinnati down the court on possession after possession and converted some easy shots. Harrington had two baskets in the run that took Tulsa from a 50-45 deficit to a 59-50 lead.

Cincinnati never recovered.

It was the fourth straight year that Cincinnati (29-4) has failed to advance past the second round. This time, though, with Martin at the end of the bench, the Bearcats had an excuse.
The star center, who broke his leg in the Conference USA tournament, was teary-eyed as Tulsa charged to an early lead.

The Golden Hurricane (31-4) ran off 13 straight points and built a 19-7 lead. That widened to 28-14 as the Bearcats seemed lost under Tulsa's barrage. The Hurricane held a 27-19 rebounding edge at halftime but Cincinnati had sliced the lead to just seven, 31-24.

With Pete Micheal and Fletcher leading the comeback, Cincinnati overtook Tulsa seven minutes into the second half. Five straight points by Fletcher broke a tie at 45 and gave the Bearcats their 50-45 lead. Then Tulsa went on a four-minute tear that decided the issue.

Swanson and David Shelton had 14 each for Tulsa, and Tony Heard added 10. Mickeal, who fouled out, led Cincinnati with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Fletcher scored 13.