Tulsa defeats ORU to retain Mayor's Cup once again

If Tulsa fans were worried about what Tulsa’s newcomers were going to bring, worry no more.

That is because Brandon Rachal and Isaiah Hill were difference makers in Tulsa retaining the Mayor’s Cup.

Rachal led Tulsa with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Hill had 12 points and eight assists in his first career start at point guard. The result was a satisfying 74-67 victory over Oral Roberts on Tuesday night in front of 3,705 at the Reynolds Center.

“Brandon Rachal, guys, I tell you, that’s what we saw when we recruited him,” said sixth-year Tulsa coach Frank Haith. “He’s all over the floor. Three steals, 24 and 9. He’s a gamer.”

A 6-foot-6 juco transfer who was a four-star recruit that played well for LSU as a freshman, Rachal clearly has the athletic ability and defensive intensity Tulsa needs.

Rachal was nine of 12 from the floor, and, not known for his outside shooting, connected on his first three-pointer of the season, the second of his major college career.

For Hill, the 6-foot freshman point guard from Bakersfield, CA was inserted as a starter as part of a shakeup to the starting lineup after a lackluster double-digit loss at UT Arlington Saturday night. The rest of the starters were seniors Martins Igbanu and Lawson Korita, Rachal, and Darien Jackson (team-high 11 rebounds, six points, two steals, four assists).

“Obviously, these two guys (Rachal and Hill) are newcomers - we’re still trying to figure it all out, but they were outstanding tonight,” Haith said. “I also want to include Darien Jackson’s play defensively. Just how he plays and his energy."

For Haith, it is clear Hill is the real thing.

“Isaiah Hill, I think the kid is going to be really good,” Haith said.

Tulsa (2-1) led 32-27 at halftime, but trailed by four points midway through the second half until the Golden Hurricane put it into another gear. Tulsa went on a 15-2 run after being behind 50-46.

Helping out down the stretch was dependable senior Lawson Korita, who tied a career high with 13 points, including a key, double-clutch three-pointer that increased a two-point lead to five with 7:44 remaining and gave Tulsa a little breathing room. Tulsa never again led by less than five.

“I’m so proud of him. I love the kid,” Haith said of Korita. “I just have a lot of confidence he is going to get it right. Because he’s won games for us by not necessarily scoring points but by doing the little things. I thought he defended really well. He just really guarded their shooters.”

Korita finished four-of-five from the field, including two three-pointers in a team high 31 minutes.

Korita, who admitted he didn’t play very well in the opening two games of the season, came through this time when Tulsa needed him. Especially on the defensive end after Tulsa was struggling on offense in a first half where TU turned the ball over 12 of its 16 times for the game.

“We turned it over on offense, and we kind of talked about how, if its not going on the offensive side, make it on the defensive side, and the offense will come,” Korita said. “It was a great feeling, a great team win. I was excited about how the newcomers brought it when we were down in the second half."

Korita and fellow senior Igbanu (11 points, three rebounds) have been key figures in Tulsa’s regaining control of the Mayor’s Cup since the two arrived. Korita and Igbanu are now 4-0 against ORU. Before their arrival, Tulsa had lost the previous three games against the Golden Eagles.

The amazing thing about the win for TU was that two players who came into the game averaging double-figures: leading scorer Jeriah Horne, and Reggie Jones, both were held to zero points off the bench for the Golden Hurricane.

“We’ve got enough players if some guys are struggling we have others to pick them up,” Haith said of a Tulsa team that played all 10 of its scholarship players at least five minutes.

Kevin Obanor led ORU (1-2) in both points with 13 and rebounds with 11. ORU was held to 32.8 percent from the field, while TU shot 50.9 percent on field goals.

The game was worrisome for TU considering ORU barely lost at OSU, and both teams had defeated Houston Baptist at home. Also, TU’s poor performance at UT Arlington was especially troubling.

“I thought the last game we didn’t do a very good job of taking care of our scouting report,” Haith said. “That was an emphasis going into this game. Knowing personnel is so important in defending, and we did a much better job.”

The fact that there was increased intensity in the game was also a key factor for TU.

“I thought we played our hearts out,” Haith said. “I thought we competed our butts off. I'm really proud of this group. This is a big win. I think ORU is a really good team. I thought we competed and did a really nice job out there.”