Oklahoma State Handed First Home Loss by Tulsa

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane earned their first win in three games in their 66-56 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. James Woodward led all scorers with 15 points and Shaquille Harrison added 14 for the Hurricane. Jawun Evan's was the lone double-digit scorer for the Cowboys with 11 points.

The difference in this contest was defined by one glaring statistic: Second-half field goal percentage. The first half was an offensive struggle for both teams and the Cowboys were lucky to take a 27-26 lead into the half. The Golden Hurricane was able to make a big adjustment, however, while the Pokes were not. Tulsa shot 54 percent in the second half compared to 26 percent from from the Cowboys. The turning point in the game came with five minutes left when Tulsa broke a 49-49 tie with an 8-0 run to pull away from the Pokes. Poor rebounding and costly turnovers down the stretch eliminated any chance of a late comeback by the Cowboys.

Phil Forte missed his fourth straight game due to an injured elbow and it proved to be extra costly tonight. Oklahoma State shot a dismal 2-19 from three point range, by far the lowest percentage of the season. Jawun Evans had five turnovers to go along with only one assist, and despite a solid game shooting the rock, the freshman made many poor decisions trying to force the ball inside.

The Cowboys dropped to 5-2 but will try to rebound against Missouri State inside Gallagher Iba this Saturday at 2:30 PM.