East Carolina University
8-11,0-6AAC
Tulsa
12-6,4-2AAC
Hot Shooting Tulsa Takes Down East Carolina
January 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball
From wire and staff reports
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- After answering eight straight points by Tulsa with a 15-0 run of its own, East Carolina didn't have another counterpunch to overcome the Golden Hurricane's 18-2 spurt at the end of the first half and lost its sixth straight, 84-69, Tuesday night.
"We did some good things," Pirate head coach Jeff Lebo said. "We had to put our best scorers out on the floor and that's a small lineup, a very small lineup. We could get away with it a little bit tonight because they played a little bit smaller lineup. We're trying everything in the book that I know, defensively.
"Teams are making shots on us right and left from the perimeter. Some of them were open, some of them were contested. But once they get going the basket seems like it's a hula hoop out there and that's what happened from the perimeter."
Tulsa (12-6, 4-2 The American), which won its fourth straight game, shot 14 of 27 from long distance (52 percent) and outscored the Pirates 30-18 in the paint, while converting 19 ECU turnovers into 21 points. TU finished 30 of 58 (52 percent) from the field overall.
Tulsa guard James Woodard led all scorers with 22 points and Pat Birt came off the bench to add 20 with six 3s. Rashad Smith had 12 and Woodard's backcourt mate, Shaquille Harrison added 10.
B.J. Tyson, who had to be helped off the court after falling on his shoulder with 4:59 to play, led East Carolina (8-11, 0-6) with 16 points.
Tyson was helped to to locker room and did not return to the court. He is scheduled to be reevaluated tomorrow.
Caleb White added 13 as did Prince Williams with a career-high three 3-pointers. Kentrell Barkley came within a rebound of his second double-double of the year, finishing with 10 points and nine boards.
Trailing 42-37 at halftime, East Carolina gained on an 11-2 run in which Williams and Tyson each hit 3-pointers before White tied it at 56 with a jumper.
Tulsa replied with a 7-2 run in which Smith scored four points and the Golden Hurricane led 69-65 after Birt's back-to-back 3-pointers. Woodard hit a 3 with 1:59 left and Tulsa finished with an 11-2 run.
"I don't know what it is that just seems to always happen to us," Williams said. "We are in games late and then the last four or five minutes it's just breakdown after breakdown. Teams take advantage of that and it costs us in the end."
The Pirates shot the ball extremely well in the first half, connecting on 56.5 percent of their field goal attempts, but were unable to keep it going after intermission making just 39 percent of their shots.
