Wednesday, January 4
Tulsa 70, Wichita State 63 - Box Score
TULSA, Okla. –– Maddie Bittle and Temira Poindexter each scored 20 points to lead the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to a 70-63 final quarter comeback victory over the Wichita State Shockers in front of 1,058 fans at the Donald W. Reynolds Center Wednesday night.
Tulsa outscored the Shockers 28-14 in the final quarter for the victory, coming back from a seven-point deficit after three quarters. Poindexter had 12 of Tulsa's fourth quarter points, while Maya Mayberry and Ahrray Young each chipped in with six points in the period.
Poindexter added a career-high 11 rebounds and had four blocked shots, while Bittle grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists.
Tulsa improved to 12-3 overall and 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play, while Wichita State dropped to 11-4 and 1-1 in league action.
Wichita State outscored Tulsa 21-9 in the third quarter to overcome a five-point halftime deficit. The Shockers took its first lead of the quarter at 37-35 with 5:29 to play and scored the final six points for a 49-42 lead after three periods.
The Shockers still had a seven-point lead with just over eight minutes to play in the final stanza, 53-46, before the Hurricane went on a 13-2 run in a span of 4:15 to retake the lead at 59-55 at the 4:24 mark. Tulsa kept its lead between four and seven points the remainder of the game for the victory.
Wichita State jumped out to a 7-2 lead as the Hurricane started out cold from the field, hitting hist one of its first seven shots.
Tulsa took its first lead at 8-7 on two straight three-pointers by Poindexter and Mayberry. The Hurricane ended the first half with a 15-14 lead despite its lowest scoring first period since scoring six points against Long Beach State on Nov. 25.
Tulsa warmed up from a slow shooting start to finish the quarter at 37-percent, while holding the Shockers to 25-percent from the field.
The Hurricane began the second quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 20-14 lead before the Shockers rattled off the next six points to knot the score at 20 at the 7:36 mark. WSU took its first second-half lead at 23-22 and expanded it to 25-22 before the Hurricane scored the next four points to jump ahead 27-25.
Bittle scored Tulsa's last eight points of the first half as the Hurricane took a 33-28 lead into halftime.
Wichita State came out of intermission and sprinted to a 49-42 lead after three quarters by outscoring the Hurricane 21-9 in the period. The Shockers made 50-percent of its field goals on 10-of-20 shooting, while Tulsa converted on just 4-of-15 field goals for 27-percent.
Bittle scored five of Tulsa's nine third-period points, while Poindexter and Delanie Crawford had two points apiece in the quarter.
The Shockers had a seven-point lead, 53-46 at the 8:39 mark of the final period before the Hurricane went on a 13-2 run to take a 59-55 lead with 4:24 left on the game clock. Poindexter had seven of Tulsa's 13 points during that stretch.
Four points was as close as Wichita State would get in the final four minutes as Tulsa had its largest lead of seven points four times, including the final margin of victory, 70-63.