Bobby Lewis 
OKBlitz.com Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – After escaping Wednesday’s near first round meltdown against Rice, the Golden Hurricane must now prepare for another presumably tight showdown with the Marshall Thundering Herd. The two teams split their two regular season meetings, each winning on its home court.

It took a feverish comeback at the Reynolds Center for Tulsa to down the Herd back in early February. Jerome Jordan’s breakaway dunk in the final seconds sealed a 15-point come-from-behind thriller. Tulsa used a 17-6 run to open the second half to get back in the game before eventually winning 73-69.

Jordan and Marshall senior Tyler Wilkerson went toe-to-toe for much of the night, jockeying for position in the lane. Jordan had one of his best statistical games of the year, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Wilkerson scored a career-high 26 points and added seven rebounds for the Herd.

Two weeks later in West Virginia, Marshall got 17 points from Hassan Whiteside in a 64-58 win. TU senior Ben Uzoh led the Golden Hurricane with 22 points in a losing effort. That game was another tight one between these two. Marshall finished the game on a 14-6 run to put Tulsa away.

In two head-to-head games this year, Marshall has outscored Tulsa 133-131. Thursday’s second round conference tournament showdown could be another close one. The two tip from the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa at 6:30 p.m.