Tulsa suffers another tough loss, falling to SMU in overtime
You know your luck is going bad when a banked three-pointer after terrific defense spells your doom.
But that is the way the season has gone for Tulsa in 2022-2023. Even when there are heroics and an amazing comeback, in the end, another loss.
Bryant Selebangue was terrific for Tulsa, scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, including a dramatic tip-in with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.
But that led to still more disappointment for a team that won't give up, as the Golden Hurricane fell 79-76 to SMU Wednesday night in front of 3,047 fans at the Reynolds Center.
"They battled their tails off," said Tulsa coach Eric Konkol. "I want it badly for these guys. We've lost the last three games by a total of 11 points."
Although Tulsa (4-13, 0-6 AAC) has been overmatched in many games this season, they were not against an SMU (7-12, 2-4) team that has some talent but really isn't very good.
Still, Tulsa is showing marked improvement. It was just 17 days ago Tulsa lost by 25 to SMU in Dallas. Tulsa had lost by 39 at home the game before to No. 1 ranked Houston.
Tulsa led almost all of the first half, and for most of the second half, holding a 48-41 lead with over 11 minutes remaining. But the Mustangs went on a 14-2 run to take a 55-50 lead, and held that lead until Brandon Betson's transition three-pointer off a steal from Tim Dalger tied the game at 60-60 with 1:59 left.
SMU built the lead back up to 64-60 until a layup by Anthony Pritchard with 21.8 seconds remaining cut the lead to 64-62. When Jalen Smith missed the front end of a one-and-one with 15.6 seconds left, Tulsa had a chance to tie or win in regulation.
Pritchard drove down and missed a jumper, and Dalger got the rebound and missed before Selebangue's tip-in with 0.6 seconds left rolled around and went in.
The refs originally waived the shot off, claiming goaltending by Selebangue. But the ball was clearly outside of the cylinder, and after a conference, put the points back on the board.
Tulsa got the early lead in overtime, and led 70-68 after a basket by Sam Griffin with 2:03 on the clock. But Tulsa's aggressive, trapping defense on SMU's next possession left Zach Nutall wide open on the right side, and he canned a three-pointer to take a 71-70 lead.
Griffin then missed a jumper, and Zhuric Phelps's off-balance, contested jumper with the shot clock about to expire banked in with 51.1 seconds left to up SMU's lead to 74-70.
The Ponies made enough free throws to prevail, although Tulsa did have two more shots to tie the game.
Griffin's three-point attempt from the left corner badly missed with 13 seconds left with the score 77-74. Later, with SMU up 79-76 and inbounding the ball underneath its own basket, a pass to halfcourt was stolen by Sterling Gaston-Chapman, and he got off a halfcourt shot to tie the game, but it wasn't close.
"They bank in a thee and we miss ours, so that's kind of the way it goes," Konkol said.
Tulsa lost the turnover battle 19-15, but still almost won despite going 5 of 28 (17.9 percent) on three-pointers. SMU wasn't much better, going 7 of 26 (26.9 percent). Undersized Tulsa won the rebound battle 42-39.
"The turnover margin really is our kryptonite," Konkol said. "There's going to be times when guys are going to make good plays, but if we turn it over 10 times instead of 19, we win this one in regulation."
Tulsa gets another chance to win its first conference game of the season when it hosts Tulane at 7 p.m. Saturday night. It is also a chance for fans to set a record for the world's largest pizza party.
Tulsa is down, but not out, after this recent setback.
"There are a lot of people that would (say), 'Aaa, just get through this,' but they're fighting and they're trying and they're giving it everything they've got," Konkol said.