Sixthirtyone

Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Alicia Smith Junior Justin Hurtt flies toward the basket.

TULSA - The University of Tulsa (18-4, 7-1 C-USA) survived a challenge from conference rival Marshall (15-7, 4-4 C-USA) this past Thursday. Overcoming a fifteen point deficit in the first half and a game-ending shoulder dislocation for sophomore Joe Richard, TU surged back to claim the victory. Clutch shots from senior Ben Uzoh buoyed TU early in the second period, and a final dunk from senior Jerome Jordan electrified the 5,300 fans in attendance.

Asked to explain the comeback, Jordan described his team as "resilient to the end." Describing his dunk in the final seconds, Jordan offered, "it felt good, pretty much sealed the game." Jordan was candid about fellow seven-footer (Marshall freshman forward) Hassan Whiteside: "It was really a battle down low. I haven't played anyone his size all year." On the subject of the C-USA officiating crew: "I was listening to the refs. They were pretty much going to let us play. No silly stuff like tugging on the jerseys...."

Speaking after the game, Marshall Coach Donnie Jones (Pikeville '88, 3rd year at Marshall) first praised Marshall senior Tyler Wilkerson who posted a career high twenty-six points amidst the loss. Asked about close losses in Conference USA play, Jones said simply, "it's a game of inches." Elaborating on that point Jones offered: "it comes down to getting those rebounds and doing those little things."

Tulsa Coach Doug Wojcik (Navy '87, 5th year at TU) offered a frank assessment: "to start the game, I think we were a little nervous." Speaking in a hoarse voice after an intense game, Wojcik continued, "I've always felt that Tyler Wilkerson is one of the best post players in the league." In addition to Joe Richard's injury, sophomore Stephen Idlett fouled out with minutes to play. Asked about his roster, Wojcik responded, "You're seeing the loss of [junior] Glenn Andrews tonight." (Andrews is out for the season with a medical redshirt.) "I think that depth is a real issue for us."

On Saturday February 6, TU travels to the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas to take on the UTEP Miners. Tip off for the match is set for 9pm. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, which are channels 26 and 721 respectively on Cox digital cable in Tulsa. Tickets are available through the UTEP University Ticket Center at 915-747-5234.

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