Junior guard Tylen Riley led Tulsa past UNT. with a game-high of 26 pts. photo by Don Mooney
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, Tulsa battled back in the second half to earn a 90-84 win over North Texas in 3OT to advance to the American Conference semifinals on Friday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Tulsa advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2014-15, the team’s first season in the league.
Tylen Riley led the team with 26 points, converting all 17 of his free-throw attempts to set the program record for free throw makes without a miss and set the American Conference Tournament record for free throw makes in a game. Riley was kept off the stat sheet in the opening half, scoring no points, no rebounds, and no assists. The junior finished with his 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Ade Popoola contributed 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and collected nine rebounds. David Green also scored 15 points, adding two blocks and six rebounds. Tyler Behrend recorded 11 rebounds and made 6-of-8 free-throw attempts.
The game began with North Texas quickly establishing a lead, scoring the first 14 points. Tulsa responded with a 3-pointer from Jaylen Lawal at the 16:09 mark, but the Mean Green maintained its advantage with strong play inside the paint. Popoola added a late 3-pointer to cut the deficit, yet North Texas closed the period ahead 36-25.
Tulsa overcame an 11-point deficit at the start of the second half, fueled by Riley’s consistent free throw shooting, which included a pair of successful attempts at the 19:40 mark to initiate the comeback. The Golden Hurricane capitalized on strong play in the paint, with Green contributing a layup at 15:22. Popoola’s 3-pointer at 11:55 narrowed the gap, and Green’s additional 3-pointer at 11:00 gave Tulsa a slim lead. Despite efforts by North Texas, including a late layup by Je’Shawn Stevenson with eight seconds remaining, regulation ended in a 69–69 tie, setting the stage for overtime.
photo by Don Mooney
Midway through the overtime, Tulsa’s Popoola scored with a layup, assisted by Behrend, to push the home team’s lead to 71–69. North Texas responded with two free throws by Stevenson, leveling the score at 72–72 with just 10 seconds left on the clock. Following a timeout by Tulsa, Miles Barnstable hit one of two free throws to tie the game again at 73–73. The overtime ended with a missed layup by Stevenson, leaving the score deadlocked.
Green opened the second overtime for Tulsa with two successful free throws following a foul by Reece Robinson, giving Tulsa a slight lead. Riley expanded that lead with two more free throws at the 4:14 mark after Cole Franklin’s foul. Stevenson of North Texas tied the game at 77 with a jumper at 1:21 remaining. Despite Tulsa briefly regaining the lead with a layup by Riley, Stevenson again tied the score with two free throws with just four seconds left. The period ended in a 79–79 tie after Riley’s last-second three-point attempt went in and out.
photo by Don Mooney
In the final overtime, Tulsa edged ahead with key free throws by Riley, who sank four consecutive shots to put the team up 83–81. Barnstable extended the lead with a critical 3-pointer, his only one of the game, at the 1:10 mark. Despite a late 3-pointer from Buddy Hammer Jr. for North Texas, Tulsa maintained its advantage by converting crucial free throws, including two by Behrend with eight seconds remaining. A defensive stop by Romad Dean in the closing seconds secured Tulsa’s 90-84 victory.
Tulsa will take on rival Wichita State in the semifinals tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.