EL PASO, Texas -- Danny Manning is taking Tulsa back to the NCAA tournament. James Woodard scored 27 points to lead the Golden Hurricane to its first NCAA berth since 2003 with a 69-60 victory Saturday against Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA tournament final. "Its an indescribable feeling," said Woodard, who is from Tulsa. "Growing up as a kid, you cant wait for March Madness. To be a part of that, this time around, and for us being so young as a team, its definitely a dream come true." Woodard, who scored 18 points in the second half, made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to help Tulsa hold off the Bulldogs. Tulsa (21-12), which was the No. 2 seed, will carry an 11-game win streak into the tournament. Top-seeded Louisiana Tech came up short, extending an NCAA tournament drought dating to 1991. The Bulldogs (27-7) were led by Kenneth Smith with 16 points and Kenyon McNeail with 15. Alex Hamilton finished with 12. The Bulldogs led 35-34 at the half in a game with 16 lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points until Tulsa took control in the final 5 minutes, pushing the advantage to 10 points on a free throw by Woodard with 1:12 left. "This was a lot of fun," said Tulsa second-year head coach Danny Manning, who won an NCAA title playing for Kansas in 1988. "It was a hard-fought game. Louisiana Tech is a talented team. We have three other teams in our league deserving of a bid." Louisiana Tech, which made 7 of 10 3-pointers in the first half and shot 45 per cent from the field, cooled off in the second half. The Bulldogs, limited by a stingy Tulsa defence, shot 32 per cent for the game. They went just 4 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half and 15 of 23 from the free-throw line. "Right now, I feel bad for the four seniors," Techs Alex Hamilton said. "I just wish there was more could do. We came out on the short end. I feel bad for the guys." Meanwhile, Tulsa shot 72 per cent from the line (18 of 25), 55 per cent from 3-point range (5 of 9) and 43 per cent from the field. Larry Johnson Hornets Jersey . - Jayden Hart scored once and set up two more as the Prince Albert Raiders downed the host Red Deer Rebels 5-3 on Tuesday to clinch the final Western Hockey League playoff berth. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey . Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola in the sixth round Saturday night, claiming the WBC heavyweight title belt vacated by Vitali Klitschko. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-Nicolas-Batum-Hornets-Jersey/ . The top-ranked Djokovic also beat Gael Monfils and then routed Roger Federer en route to his first Abu Dhabi title. "Its always great to win a title. This is the best way to start the 2012 season," Djokovic said. Percy Miller Hornets Jersey . Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Marvin Williams Jersey . The All-Pro left tackle agreed to a five-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday. Peters was signed for 2014, and his new deal adds four years through 2018.PHILADELPHIA -- Right-hander Kyle Kendrick has agreed to a $7,675,000, one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, avoiding arbitration. Kendricks deal was announced Thursday night and includes award bonuses. He was 10-13 with a 4.70 ERA last season, and is 64-55 with a 4.38 ERA in seven seasons. The Phillies have thrree remaining arbitration-eligible players: outfielders Ben Revere and John Mayberry Jr.dddddddddddd, and left-hander Antonio Bastardo. Kendrick has won double-digit games four times and made 30 starts three times. Hes slated as the No. 3 or 4 starter behind Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. ' ' '