TULSA, Okla. �€" The Oral Roberts University women's
basketball team forced a school-record 43 turnovers, and turned
them into 43 points, as they rolled past Wichita State, 81-49, in
front of 1,121 people Monday night at the Mabee Center. ORU also
set a new all-time mark with 27 steals in the contest.
The school's previous records for forced turnovers and steals had
been set on Dec. 30, 1995, when the Golden Eagles recorded 26
steals and forced 42 turnovers in a 72-55 win over Delaware
State.
Leading the ORU (4-2) defensive charge was Marianna
Camargo (Blumenau, Brazil), who's game-high 10 steals tied
a ten-year-old school record. The freshman guard also added 15
points and four assists in 23 minutes of work.
Trina Davis accomplished the same feat twice during the 1994-95
season, first against Cal St.-Northridge (1/14/95) and then again
against UMKC (2/13/95).
The two teams combined for four ties and pair of lead changes over
the first eight minutes of the contest, with Wichita State (3-2)
holding a 14-13 lead with 11:44 to play. The Golden Eagles then
used a 15-1 spurt to take a 28-15 advantage, and they would never
look back.
The lead would grow to 24 points by halftime, when a
Tiffany Johnson (Grove, Okla.) lay-in put ORU
ahead 44-20 going into the break. The Golden Eagles forced 26
Shocker turnovers in the first stanza, turning them into 26 points.
Their defense also limited WSU to 24.1 percent (7-29) shooting in
the first half, including 16.7 percent (1-6) from long range.
It was more of the same in the second half, as ORU used a 7-0 run
to open up a 35 point lead, their largest of the contest, at 69-34
with 9:17 remaining in the game. They would lead by 35 one more
time before settling in for the 81-49 final.
Elisha Turek (Council Bluffs, Iowa) recorded 15
points while adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks. She went
6-of-10 from the field and 4-of 5 from the free throw line.
As a team, the Golden Eagles knocked down a season-high 75.9
percent of their attempts from the charity stripe, including a
9-of-12 effort from Camargo.
Rachel Balzer (Enid, Okla) chipped in with 10
points and Alycia Seay (Big Cabin, Okla.) finished
the night with eight points and six rebounds.
Wichita State's Antionette Wells led all players with 17 points and
12 rebounds, while Kiki Stephens added a double-double of 10 points
and 12 boards.
The Golden Eagles will return to action on Saturday, December 10,
when they travel seven miles north of campus for a 3:00 p.m.
showdown with cross-town rival Tulsa.
-ORU-
