UALR heats up, topples Tulsa

UALR's men's basketball team continued its solid defensive play Saturday at Tulsa, but it wasn't until it broke out offensively in the second half that the Trojans notched another quality nonconference victory.

UALR held Tulsa without scoring for almost seven minutes to start the second half and shot 63.6 percent from the field after halftime as it rallied for a 64-60 victory in front of an announced crowd of 3,831 at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

Senior Josh Hagins scored nine of his 17 points after halftime to go with 10 assists and 8 rebounds for the Trojans, who are 5-0 for the third time as a Division I program.

The victory over Tulsa, which received votes in both Top 25 polls last week, came a week after UALR won at San Diego State, which has reached the NCAA Tournament each of the past six seasons.

"We're embracing the moment here," UALR Coach Chris Beard said. "We've got a great opportunity. We knew we'd have to play a perfect game to beat them, and that's what we did tonight."

The final 20 minutes might have been near-perfect, but the start wasn't.

Even with UALR bottling up Tulsa's leading-scorer Shaquille Harrison, the Golden Hurricane (4-2) shot 46.2 percent from the field in the first half and turned 10 UALR turnovers into 13 points to lead 33-24 at halftime.

"We had some careless turnovers, and against a team like Tulsa they're going to run it right up on you and get two points," Beard said of the Trojans, who trailed by as many as 15 in the first half. "I liked the way we played in the first half, I just didn't like the way we executed."

UALR held Tulsa without points on its first eighth possessions after halftime. That stretch lasted 6:50 and allowed UALR to score 12 consecutive points, with UALR taking a 36-33 lead on Jalen Jackson's two free throws with 13:40 left.

Rashad Ray's three-pointer with 13:10 left broke Tulsa's drought to tie it at 36-36. James Woodard's three-pointer a minute later gave Tulsa the lead again at 39-38, but UALR led the final 7:48 after Kemy Osse's three made it 49-47.

Jackson scored 12 points in 15 minutes for the Trojans, while Osse made 3 of 4 three-pointers. UALR was was 8 of 15 from behind the three-point line.

Harrison, who entered averaging 23.6 points per game, was held to four points and didn't make a shot from the field. James Woodard had 16 points for the Golden Hurricane, who were held to 21 points below their average and 39.2 percent shooting.

"Our shots just weren't going down, and we also didn't shoot free throws very well," Tulsa Coach Frank Haith said of his team, which was 11 of 18 from the free-throw line. "They have proven they are a good team when they beat San Diego State. The way they play the game is to shrink the clock and the game. Possessions are very important in a game like tonight, and when you get opportunities at the free throw line you have to go and make them."

UALR returns home to play Central Arkansas at the Jack Stephens Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

SWAC MEN

UAPB 62, SE LOUISIANA 60

Arkansas-Pine Bluff shot almost 51 percent from the field and forced 25 turnovers as it closed out the Barclays Center Classic with a victory Saturday in West Point, N.Y.

JoVaughn Love scored 15 points and two others, Deshon Bayless and Charles Jackson, scored eight to lead a balanced scoring attack as the Golden Lions snapped their five-game losing streak. UAPB (2-5) led 30-28 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. The Golden Lions led 47-39 nine minutes in and 52-42 with less than 7 minutes remaining.

Southeastern Louisiana (1-6) scored six consecutive points to get within 60-59 in the final minute, but Love made a jumper with 20 seconds left and Southeastern Louisiana’s Zay Jackson missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

SWAC WOMEN

ARK.-PINE BLUFF 68, TALLADEGA 55

Niya Head had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Arkansas-Pine Bluff closed its appearance in the HBCU Classic with a victory Saturday in Memphis.

UAPB (3-3) got 13 points each from Attirah Munir and Shawntayla Harris and Diamond Richardson added 10 points. The Lady Lions shot 46.7 percent from the field and held Talladega (7-3) to 38.3 percent. The victory avenged an earlier UAPB loss to Talladega, 83-73, in Pine Bluff.

UAPB led 21-19 after the first quarter and 39-27 at halftime.

SOUTHLAND WOMEN

CENTRAL ARKANSAS 50,

MURRAY STATE 40

CONWAY — Brianna Mullins had 14 points, and Central Arkansas won Saturday with defense at the Farris Center. UCA (4-1) held Murray State to 29.3 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers to beat Murray State for the second time this season.

LeAsia Wright scored 19 points for the Racers (2-4), but no other player had more than 5 and they were held to 10 points in the first half. Murray State was 3 of 17 from the field in the first half.

UCA wasn’t much better offensively, shooting 33.3 percent from the field, 1 of 10 from three-point range and 54.2 percent from the free-throw line. UCA outrebounded Murray State 41-33 and scored 13 points off turnovers.

SUN BELT WOMEN

ARKANSAS STATE 62,

FLORIDA GULF COAST 48

Aundrea Gamble scored 19 points and helped Arkansas State (4-1) pull away from Florida Gulf Coast (3-3) in the second half for a victory in Fort Myers, Fla. ASU trailed 16-12 after the first quarter and 29-28 at halftime but outscored FGCU 20-12 in the third quarter and 34-19 in the second half to bounce back from its first loss of the season.

Amanda Lawson added a season-high 15 points for the Red Wolves, while Khadija Brown-Haywood had 12 points and 10 rebounds. ASU shot 43.7 percent from the field in the second half while holding FGCU to 34.8 percent after halftime.

Gamble had 11 points in the first half to help ASU stay even, but Brown-Haywood helped it break out in the second half with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Kaneisha Atwater led FGCU with 11 points, but only two came after halftime.

Sports on 11/29/2015

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