East Carolina University
Tulsa
ECU Falls To Tulsa
February 21, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2009
Complete Box Score in PDF Format 
From wire and staff reports
TULSA, Okla. - Sam Hinnant scored 21 points, 16 of those in the first half, but East Carolina fell to Tulsa at the Reynolds Center Saturday night, 72-62.
The Pirates (13-13, 5-8 Conference USA) shot a torrid 53.8 percent in the first half and built a six-point halftime lead. A pair of 3-pointers by Chris Turner and two buckets in the paint from Darrius Morrow sparked a 12-0 run and staked ECU to a 27-17 advantage with 6:24 left before intermission.
However, the Pirates made just 7-of-33 field goals in the second and finished the game at 36 percent. They did finish at 43.5 percent on 3-pointers against the nation's third-ranked defense against treys, connecting on 10 triples to bring their season total to 232, tying the school record.
The Hurricane (18-9, 8-4) erased a 10-point first-half deficit by holding the Pirates to just four free throws in the first 10:12 of the second half, in the process turning a 39-33 halftime deficit into a 51-43 lead.
Ben Uzoh scored 23 points to lead Tulsa, snapping a two-game losing streak and putting Tulsa back in the race for second place behind Memphis in Conference USA. Justin Hurtt had 17 points for Tulsa, while Jerome Jordan had 12 points and six rebounds.
Tulsa built a 60-48 lead with 7:10 to play on a conventional three-point play by Bishop Wheatley and kept the Pirates at bay by making 10 of 11 free throws in the final 4:10.
Morrow had 10 points and nine rebounds for East Carolina. Brock Young had seven assists to bring his season assist tally to 203 becoming the fourth player in C-USA history to dish out 200 assists in a year.
The Pirates return home to face Marshall Wednesday night inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
