TULSA, OKLA.?The Presbyterian College men's basketball team battled through a tough first half against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to tie the score at halftime, but the Blue Hose couldn't hang on through the second half as Tulsa claimed a 62-48 win Dec. 14 at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Al'Lonzo Coleman (Charlotte, N.C./Vance) led PC with 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half. Aaron Gibbs (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) grabbed a team-high six rebounds to lead the Blue Hose on the boards. Josh Johnson (Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville) chipped in 14 points, including the last second three pointer that would tie the score going into halftime.
PC (4-5 overall, 2-0 BSC) and Tulsa traded baskets for the first five minutes of the second half, and the score was tied at 33-33 with 15:59 left in the game. Despite a five point Tulsa lead at 12:06, the Blue Hose would battle back to tie the game at 41-41 with 10 minutes remaining after a three point play from Johnson.
The Golden Hurricane, however, took a four point lead off of two free throws at 9:24 and would stay ahead for the remainder of the game. Tulsa would end the game on a 6-0 run to win 62-48.
In a close first half that featured five tie scores and six lead changes, PC fought through a three point Tulsa lead in the last minute to head into halftime tied at 27-27. After a Blue Hose timeout with 15 seconds left in the first half, PC in-bounded the ball at halfcourt and Johnson hit a three pointer at the buzzer to even the score at 27-27 heading into the locker room.
The score was tied at 7-7 early in the game, and a 7-0 PC run gave the Blue Hose a 16-8 lead off of Johnson's first three pointer of the game. Tulsa answered with an eight point scoring drive of their own, and with nine minutes remaining in the first half the score was ties at 16-16.
The Blue Hose used two straight baskets by Coleman and a layup from Travis Sligh (Columbia, S.C./Keenan) to again take the lead at 22-18 at the six minute mark.
PC had a three point advantage with two minutes left in the first half after a basket by Gibbs, but three Tulsa shots in a row put the Golden Hurricane ahead by three with 15 seconds remaining in the half. Johnson's three pointer tied the game at 17-17 at halftime.
Tulsa advances to 6-4 on the year with the win and had four players score in double digits.
After five straight games on the road the Blue Hose will return to the Templeton Center to face UC Davis on Dec. 17. This is the second non-conference game in a row for PC, and tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
