Tulsa holds off Central Michigan

The importance of a young, struggling team winning a close game can't be underestimated.

For Tulsa, ending a five-game losing streak was critical.

Keyshawn-Embery Simpson and Sam Griffin each scored 13 points to lead Tulsa to a 70-63 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon in front of 2,654 fans at the Reynolds Center.

"It builds confidence. You gain confidence from doing it," said first year Tulsa coach Eric Konkol. "And the reverse can be true when you've lost a lead at the end."

For Embery-Simpson, who has fought through injuries the last two seasons at TU, it was an important step to him establishing himself as a key player for the Golden Hurricane.

"The main thing is to stay confident," Embery-Simpson said.

Embery-Simpson was 5 of 10 from the field, including 1 of 4 on three pointers, and added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

While Tulsa (3-6) has lost games down the stretch during the previous 5 contests, it somehow found a way to win.

Leading for most of the game, including by 8, the last time with 7 minutes remaining after a bucket by Embery-Simpson, Tulsa saw the lead start to slip away.

When Max Marjele, the son of former Phoenix Suns's standout Dan Majerle, connected on a three-pointer with 3:28 left to tie the game at 61-61, it was time to be really concerned.

But the 6-foot-3 Embery-Simpson, mostly known as a perimeter guard, backed his defender down inside, and his close-in right-handed jump hook from in the lane with 3:01 remaining gave TU the lead for good at 63-61.

"I try to use my strength to my advantage, especially when I'm playing against smaller guards," Embery-Simpson said of his key tie-breaking bucket.

The Golden Hurricane didn't allow another field goal the rest of the game, and was able to make free throws. And a clutch fade-away jumper by Anthony Pritchard with 45 seconds left made the score 69-63, giving Tulsa a little breathing room.

For Central Michigan (4-6) coach Tony Barbee, it had been a while since he coached against Tulsa in the Reynolds Center.

Barbee, who was the UTEP coach from 2006-2010 when both teams were in Conference USA, was 1-3 against TU in the Reynolds Center, but he won his last game at the Don, and UTEP beat Tulsa in the C-USA conference tourney semifinals at the BOK center in his last game in Tulsa.

Tim Dalger added 12 points and 6 rebounds, as the Golden Hurricane outrebounded the Chippewas 34-33. That is important since the small lineups Tulsa has to play have had troubles rebounding this season, especially down the stretch of games.

Unsung heroes for TU include Brandon Betson and Jesaiah McWright. Betson had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 25 plus minutes off the bench. Most importantly, his plus/minus ratio was plus 16.

For McWright, the 6-4 freshman who hasn't played a lot this year, his plus 10 plus/minus ratio was accomplished all in the first half, where he played good defense. He had 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 8 plus minutes.

Konkol was obviously very pleased to finally get another win and start TU back in the right direction in the won-loss column.

"I thought it was a gritty performance," Konkol said. "I thought we responded to adversity better this afternoon."

Tulsa's next game is Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State at the Reynolds Center.