Jeriah Horne had 22 points as Tulsa topped Houston Baptist 80-72 on Tuesday in the third annual season-opening Blackboards & Backboards Game.
Martins Igbanu had 16 points for Tulsa. Brandon Rachal added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Darien Jackson had five steals for the hosts.
Houston Baptist scored the first basket of the game and led by up to eight points before Tulsa closed the first half with a 13-2 run for a 41-38 lead. The Hurricanes had a had a 24-8 advantage in points in the paint and made 14 of 16 free throws. For the game it was 48-20 in the paint and 21 of 27 from the foul line.
Ian DuBose had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies. Jalon Gates added 16 points. Ty Dalton had eight rebounds.
Over 3,300 elementary and junior high school youth representing 22 schools were in attendance for the Hurricane opener. The victory extended Tulsa’s non-conference winning streak to 14 games over three seasons.
Tulsa matches up against Texas-Arlington on the road on Saturday. Houston Baptist plays Oral Roberts on the road on Friday.