Box Score
TULSA--Elisha Turek
(Council Bluffs, IA) scored a game-high 22 points, including eight
points in the game's final 4:33, as Oral Roberts University
defeated Valpraiso 67-66 in a Mid-Continent Conference game,
Saturday at the Mabee Center.
Turek, a freshman forward, was
8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line, tying the top
scoring output of her young career. She also tied a career-best
with 14 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. It's her third
straight double-double and fourth of the season.
ORU (8-6, 2-1) gained the win despite
wasting a 10-point second half lead. The Golden Eagles, who also
led by as many 13 in the first half before settling for a 36-34
halftime edge, went up 57-47 on a pair of Turek free throws with
8:05 to play. But Valpo (7-7, 2-1) then went on a 12-0 run, capped
by Katheryn Knoester's layup with 4:59 left for a 59-57 lead.
At that point, Turek took over. Her
short jumper from the right baseline tied the game at 59-59 with
4:33 to go. Valpo's Betsy Reitsma gave the Crusaders a 61-59 lead
with 4:10 to play, but Turek responded again with another jumper,
knotting the game at 61-61 with 3:07 to play.
After a Valpo turnover, Turek hit the
go-ahead shot at 2:07, giving ORU a 63-61 edge. After Knoester tied
it with a pair of free throws at 1:37, Turek capped her scoring
burst with a driving layup for a 65-63 ORU lead with 1:18 to
go.
Another Valpo turnover led to an
Alycia Seay (Big Cabin, OK) layup for a 67-63
Golden Eagle advantage with 35 seconds left and ORU held on for the
win.
Leah Cannon
(Adelaide, Australia) directed ORU's offense, finishing with 14
assists and nine points. Claudia Louis (Baton
Rouge, LA) had 12 points and five boards.
Valpo, which shot just 39.3 percent
in the second half, was led by Jamie Gutkowski's 15 points.
The Golden Eagles return to action
when they host preseason Mid-Con favorite Western Illinois, 7:05
p.m., Monday.
--ORU--
