TULSA--Alycia Seay
(Big Cabin, OK) hit the go-ahead bucket with 14 seconds to play,
but Maureen Obudho's (Mombassa, Kenya) block with
two seconds left saved the day as Oral Roberts nipped Centenary
68-67 in a Mid-Continent Conference game, Monday at the Mabee
Center.
The win, combined with Western
Illinois' loss at UMKC, puts the Golden Eagles (10-7, 4-2) into a
three-way tie for second place in the Mid-Con. Centenary (3-13,
1-4) suffered its fourth straight defeat.
With ORU trailing 67-66, Seay
rebounded a missed Elisha Turek (Council Bluffs,
IA) jumper and hit an open layup to put the Golden Eagles on top.
Following a combined three time-outs, Centenary's Holly Wilkins fed
Alexis Pettway under the basket, but Obudho swatted away the shot
from behind and Claudia Louis (Baton Rouge, LA)
grabbed the rebound as time expired, sealing the win.
Obudho's block in the final moments
was her second big defensive play in less than a minute. In
Centenary's previous possession, the 5-foot-10 junior forward also
blocked a short jumper by Wilkins, leading to ORU's final
possession and the game-winning basket.
ORU won despite allowing Centenary
60.9 percent (14-23) shooting in the second. The Ladies, who
trailed 34-32 at halftime, hit nine of their first 10 shots from
the field after the break. The Golden Eagles took a 62-55 lead on
Turek's jumper with 6:50 to play but Centenary went on a 8-0 run,
taking the lead on Whitney Rushing's two free throws with 3:04 to
play.
In a game which featured 10 ties and
21 lead changes, the Golden Eagles won it at the line. ORU was
17-of-20 from the line, helping overcome 40.7 percent field-goal
shooting.
Turek led all scorers with 19 points
and also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, earning her fifth
double-double of the season. Seay had 16 points, and Louis tied a
career-high with 15 points, adding seven rebounds and six steals to
her stat line.
Rushing led Centenary with 14
points.
The Golden Eagles return to action
when they visit IUPUI, 3:30 p.m., Saturday in Indianapolis.
--ORU--
