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
2023-24 American Athletic Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
South Florida | 16-2 | - | 25-8 |
Florida Atlantic | 14-4 | 2 | 25-9 |
Charlotte | 13-5 | 3 | 19-12 |
UAB | 12-6 | 4 | 23-12 |
Memphis | 11-7 | 5 | 22-10 |
SMU | 11-7 | 5 | 20-13 |
North Texas | 10-8 | 6 | 19-15 |
Tulsa | 7-11 | 9 | 16-15 |
East Carolina | 7-11 | 9 | 15-18 |
Tulane | 5-13 | 11 | 14-17 |
Temple | 5-13 | 11 | 16-20 |
Wichita State | 5-13 | 11 | 15-19 |
UTSA | 5-13 | 11 | 11-21 |
Rice | 5-13 | 11 | 11-21 |
2023-24 Pac-12 Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Arizona | 15-5 | - | 27-9 |
Washington State | 14-6 | 1 | 25-10 |
Colorado | 13-7 | 2 | 26-11 |
Oregon | 12-8 | 3 | 24-12 |
UCLA | 10-10 | 5 | 16-17 |
Utah | 9-11 | 6 | 22-15 |
Washington | 9-11 | 6 | 17-15 |
California | 9-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
USC | 8-12 | 7 | 15-18 |
Arizona State | 8-12 | 7 | 14-18 |
Stanford | 8-12 | 7 | 14-18 |
Oregon State | 5-15 | 10 | 13-19 |