Tulsa puts away Loyola Chicago in Myrtle Beach opener
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Sam Griffin had 20 points in Tulsa’s 85-66 victory over Loyola Chicago on Thursday.
"Honestly, I was thinking about winning it. Even in the first half when I had foul trouble, I was like we've just got to win," Griffin said. "It shows how together we are, how we fight as a unit. I don't have to be out there for our team to continue to fight. We all had the same goals. We play together and it showed tonight."
Griffin was 8 of 13 shooting (4 for 8 from distance) for the Golden Hurricane (2-1). Brandon Betson added 18 points while going 4 of 6 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from distance, and 8 for 8 from the line, and he also had three steals. Tim Dalger was 6 of 12 shooting, including 3 for 6 from distance, and went 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 17 points, while adding nine rebounds.
Philip Alston led the way for the Ramblers (2-1) with 18 points and six rebounds. Loyola Chicago also got nine points from Marquise Kennedy.
Led by nine points from Dalger before the break, Tulsa entered halftime tied with Loyola Chicago 30-30. Griffin scored 17 points in the second half to help lead the way as Tulsa went on to secure a victory, outscoring Loyola Chicago by 19 points in the second half.
"We knew coming in tonight we were going to play a team that plays really hard, very well together," said Tulsa coach Eric Konkol. "We talked about the tougher team was going to win tonight. And Loyola, their program has certainly been built on great toughness. It was a challenge to our team, but I thought our team played with a toughness and togetherness. There were a few moments where we bended a little bit but didn't break.
"Give a lot of credit to Sam (Griffin) and his teammates for putting a great effort on the floor to be tenacious defensively and turn that into some great offensive play. Other than the last few minutes of the game, we had an incredible amount of effort."
TU now faces Charlotte at 6 p.m. on November 18 in the semifinal round.