TU defeats Arkansas-Pine Bluff in dominating fashion
Defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff wasn’t expected to be tough assignment. And it wasn’t.
Jeriah Horne was on fire, leading Tulsa with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists, as well as adding two steals, as TU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 72-39 in front of 2,781 fans at the Reynolds Center on Wednesday night.
Horne, averaging 9.6 points coming in, came off the bench to make eight-of-10 from the field, including four-of-five on three pointers. As usual, Horne deflected credit away from himself.
"Really, just listening to my coach, listening to (head) coach (Frank) Haith," said Horne. "Really had a great conversation. I thank him and appreciate him so much for all that he does for me. And for my teammates looking for me and trusting in me to knock down shots when I have open looks."
Usually an outstanding shooter, having shot 37.4 percent from behind the arc last season while averaging 10.1 points, Horne had not been as successful this season, shooting 26.5 percent on three'-pointers coming into the game.
But the confidence wasn't lacking at all against UAPB for Horne or his teammates, as the Golden Hurricane made 10-of-21 on treys (47.6 percent), and made 46.4 percent from the field.
Tulsa (7-1) looked strong all game against an admittedly not so dazzling UAPB squad from the SWAC that finished 13-19 last season.
But even if the Lions are not NCAA contenders, it was still an impressive performance. UAPB hardly had on open shot all game against a stifling Golden Hurricane defense that had 12 steals and forced 24 turnovers. TU limited UAPB to 32.6 percent from the field, and outrebounded the Lions 39-24.
"I thought defensively we were outstanding. I thought we were locked in," said Haith, who was honored before the game for his 100th win at TU, which came last Wednesday night against South Carolina State.
"We're getting better and better. We played mostly man tonight, but obviously we played both (man and zone). We try to keep people off balance by changing defenses. I thought our close-outs were good."
The Golden Hurricane was feeling confident after coming off of an impressive 67-58 road win at Vanderbilt Saturday night.
"Pleased with our effort after coming off a good road win in terms of our focus and mindset," Haith said.
Horne echoed Haith's thoughts about beating Vanderbilt.
"The main thing is not being satisfied with that win," Horne said. "As a team, we can reach higher heights."
TU started the game off hot on both ends and rarely wavered. The Golden Hurricane led 25-4 just over minutes into the game, and took a 30-16 lead into halftime. That lead got bumped up to 50-20 seven minutes into the second half, and the route was on. Tulsa led by as many as 42 points, first at 66-24, and later at 72-30.
Brandon Rachal led the effort on defense as he had another outstanding game. Averaging 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 27 minutes of playing time - all team highs coming in - Rachal was all over the court again. But he only played 21 minutes, sitting out the last part of the half when the game was out of hand.
Still, Rachal had 10 points, six rebounds and four steals.
"When you see Brandon be first to the floor, and he's your leading scorer and rebounder, it's contagious for other guys. 'That guy's doing it, I know I can do it,' so that's been the key for this team," Haith said.
"We know there's going to be nights we don't shoot it well, but our defense has carried us. As long as we have that mindset, when we get in the game and we're not shooting it well, we feel good about stopping people, and that's what gives you a chance night in and night out."
It was also another night for young players to grow, such as 7-foot juco transfer Manny Ugboh, who has shown improvement since the start of the season. Coming off an 8-point performance against Vandy, Ugboh had six points and three rebounds against the Lions in 17 minutes, including an impressive five-foot jump hook that hopefully foreshadows better things ahead.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-6) has had a rough year so far against a challenging schedule that has featured six road games. Losses have ranged from 11 points at Kansas State to 50 points at Gonzaga. Zavian Jackson led the Lions with 16 points.
Tulsa next plays Saturday afternoon at home against Arkansas State at 2 pm.