FRESNO, Calif. (AP) _ Eric Coley and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane made quick work of Rice in the opening game of the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

Coley had a block, assist, steal and reverse layup in an early spurt as No. 14 Tulsa routed Rice 71-51 on Thursday.

Sixth-man David Shelton, who scored 20 points, and Brandon Kurtz, with 14, carried Tulsa most of the way as the Golden Hurricane won their 28th game, breaking the school record of 27 set in 1983-84.

Tulsa (28-3), the top seed in the WAC tournament, will face the winner of the San Jose State-Texas Christian game.

Erik Cooper scored all 14 of his points in the second half as he tried to make it a game for outmatched Rice (5-22). Mike Wilks added 10 points.

Playing before a mostly empty Selland Arena, Coley made a key block on T.J. McKenzie's layup in the first, fed Kurtz for a three-point play, then stole the ball and beat his man on the break for a 7-0 lead.

The Owls never got closer. They were held scoreless for nearly the first six minutes and had trouble finding the basket from just about anywhere but the foul line, scoring eight of their 18 first-half points on free throws.

Kurtz, playing 100 miles north of his hometown of Bakersfield, and Shelton each scored 10 of their points in the first half, as the Hurricane shot nearly 50 percent from the field.

Trailing 38-18 at the break after shooting 18 percent from the floor, Rice picked up the pace in the second half but it was too late, as Tulsa never let the game get closer than 12 points.

Tulsa has beaten Rice six straight times.