Igbanu scores 23 to carry Tulsa past SMU 79-57
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Martins Igbanu scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Tulsa to a 79-57 win over SMU 79-57 on Saturday.
Lawson Korita scored 14 points for Tulsa (18-9, 10-4 American Athletic Conference), which shot 59% in the second half to break the game open. Darien Jackson added 12 points. The Golden Hurricanes are a half-game behind league-leading Houston, which lost at Memphis 60-59 earlier in the day.
The Golden Hurricanes retired the No. 32 jersey of legend Bobby “Bingo” Smith in the first half and honored the 2000 Elite Eight team. Smith, who played from 1965-69 before an 11-year NBA career mostly with Cleveland, averaged 17.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in 77 games. He was Missouri Valley Conference MVP and a second-team Associated Press All-American after averaging 24.5 points and 10.3 rebounds as a senior. The Cavaliers retired Smith’s No. 7 in 1979.
Tyson Jolly had 18 points for the Mustangs (18-8, 8-6). Isiaha Mike added 13 points. Kendric Davis had 10 points.
The Golden Hurricanes had a 10-point lead midway through the second half when they scored nine straight points and turned that into a 15-2 run.
Tulsa matches up against Tulane at home on Tuesday. SMU plays Memphis at home on Tuesday.
