Pope, Akanno rally Oregon State to 73-70 victory over Tulsa
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- — Jordan Pope had 19 points, Dexter Akanno scored 18 and Oregon State overcame a 19-point deficit to beat Tulsa 73-70 in a season opener on Monday night.
Two free throws by Bryant Selebangue gave Tulsa a 41-22 lead with 2:45 remaining in the first half. Anthony Pritchard closed out the scoring with a three-point play and the Golden Hurricane led 44-28 at intermission.
Pope hit a 3-pointer to open the second half for Oregon State and then fed Glenn Taylor Jr. for a layup off a Tulsa turnover. Pope, Dzmitry Ryuny and Dexter Akanno followed with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 14-0 run and the Beavers trailed 44-42 with 15:27 left to play.
The Golden Hurricane stayed in front until Pope sank four straight free throws to knot the score at 59 with 5:31 remaining after Tulsa's Sterling Gaston-Chapman was charged with a foul and a Class A Technical.
The lead went back and forth until Akanno sank two free throws and followed a Pope layup with one of his own, giving OSU a 70-64 lead with 2:28 left. The Beavers never trailed again in upping their record to 9-0 in season openers under Wayne Tinkle.
Taylor finished with 16 points for the Beavers, while Ryuny scored 11.
Sam Griffin hit five 3-pointers and led Tulsa with 29 points. Selebangue added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Betson scored 13.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Rick Batsell
- Tony Padilla
- Nate Harris
2024-25 American Athletic Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 7-1 | - | 17-4 |
| North Texas | 7-2 | 0.5 | 16-5 |
| UAB | 7-2 | 0.5 | 14-8 |
| Temple | 6-3 | 1.5 | 14-8 |
| Tulane | 5-3 | 2 | 11-10 |
| Florida Atlantic | 4-4 | 3 | 11-10 |
| South Florida | 4-4 | 3 | 11-10 |
| East Carolina | 4-5 | 3.5 | 12-10 |
| UTSA | 4-5 | 3.5 | 10-11 |
| Tulsa | 3-5 | 4 | 9-12 |
| Rice | 2-6 | 5 | 11-10 |
| Wichita State | 1-7 | 6 | 11-10 |
| Charlotte | 1-8 | 6.5 | 8-14 |
2024-25 West Coast Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's | 9-0 | - | 19-3 |
| Gonzaga | 7-2 | 2 | 16-6 |
| San Francisco | 7-3 | 2.5 | 17-6 |
| Santa Clara | 7-4 | 3 | 15-9 |
| Oregon State | 6-4 | 3.5 | 16-7 |
| Loyola Marymount | 6-4 | 3.5 | 14-8 |
| Washington State | 5-5 | 4.5 | 15-8 |
| Pepperdine | 3-7 | 6.5 | 9-14 |
| Portland | 3-8 | 7 | 8-16 |
| Pacific | 2-9 | 8 | 7-18 |
| San Diego | 1-10 | 9 | 4-20 |
Men's College Basketball News