In the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament’s Tulsa Regional on Tuesday, two American Athletic Conference teams secured victories to advance.

Hosting at the Reynolds Center, the Tulsa (27-7) overcame significant deficits in both regulation and overtime to edge Stephen F. Austin 89-84.

Trailing by 12 points with 6:41 left in the second half (70-58), Tulsa unleashed a 19-3 run to seize a 76-73 lead with 10 seconds remaining, only for the Lumberjacks to force overtime. In the extra period, the Golden Hurricane rallied from a four-point deficit, with Jaylen Lawal drilling a pivotal three-pointer to put Tulsa ahead 86-84 with 46 seconds to play — a lead they would not relinquish.

The win advances the top-seeded Golden Hurricane to the second round, where they will face the winner of UC Irvine-UNLV on March 21 or 22.

The first round action also saw fellow league member and No. 3-seed Wichita State (23-11) hold off Wyoming 74-70 to advance to a second round matchup with Oklahoma State on March 21 or 22.

The Shockers controlled the boards decisively, outrebounding the Cowboys 55-34, and led for most of the contest, building their largest advantage at 38-28 with under 17 minutes remaining in regulation.

Both victories highlight the American Conference’s trend of success in the NIT. The wins extended the league’s streak of winning at least one NIT game to seven consecutive seasons (excluding the 2020 COVID-canceled postseason).