(2) Tulsa 73, (10) Rice 51
No. 2 Tulsa blew away No. 10 Rice 73-51 with exceptional three-point shooting and suffocating defense. The Golden Hurricane hit 10 three-pointers and shot 47 percent from the floor while holding the Owls to 36 percent and only two three-pointers. Senior swingman Ray Reese fueled the attack with 22 points and hit six of the team’s 10 three-pointers.
(3) UAB 74, (11) Southern Miss 73
Senior guard Paul Delaney refused to let No. 3 UAB lose to No. 11 Southern Miss, hitting two clutch shots to give the Blazers a 74-73 overtime win. Delaney hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game at 64, and he reprised the hero role at the end of overtime by hitting a layup with less than a second remaining. Delaney finished with a team-high 28 points. The Blazers will play Tulsa Friday, a team UAB lost to by one on the road in late January.
(1) Memphis 51, (8) Tulane 41
No. 1 Memphis remained perfect in Conference USA with a 51-41 victory against No. 8 Tulane. The Green Wave surged ahead of Memphis with an 8-0 to start the second half. However, a dunk with a little less than 17 minutes to go was the Green Wave’s last points until the final four minutes of the game. Memphis’ defense shut down Tulane and spurred an 18-0 run. Junior forward Shawn Taggart led the Tigers with 19 points.
(5) Houston 89, (4) UTEP 85
Senior guard Stefon Jackson did all he could to put No. 4 UTEP into the semifinals, finishing with 38 points, but it wasn’t enough in an 89-85 loss to No. 5 Houston. Jackson hit a jumper at the end of regulation to force overtime, but the Cougars’ better balance proved too much for the Miners. Junior guard Aubrey Coleman led Houston with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and three other Cougars scored at least 15 points.
