TULSA,
Okla. �€" Jenny Hardin (Claremore,
Okla.) led four Golden Eagles in double-figure scoring and the Oral
Roberts University defense limited Central Arkansas to just 23.5
percent shooting during a 88-55 win, Saturday night at the Mabee
Center.
Hardin
led ORU (9-4) with 17 points going 7-of-10 from the field and
adding eight rebounds in 25 minutes of work; while Elisha
Turek (Council Bluffs, Iowa) added 15 points and a
game-high 12 boards. Turek also went 7-of-10 from the field as she
recorded her seventh double-double in the last eight games.
Central
Arkansas (6-6) started fast out of the gate, opening up a 6-0 lead
just 1:23 into the ballgame. The Golden Eagles then settled in as
a pair of Rachel Watman (Sydney, Australia)
three-point baskets sparked a 10-2 run, and the home side took
their first lead at 10-8.
ORU
claimed the lead for good at the 10:22 mark when Janae
Voelker (Newton, Kan.) recorded an offensive rebound and
put back for an 18-17 lead. That basket also started an 18-2 run
that pushed the Golden Eagles advantage to 15 points at 34-19.
Voelker
would go on to finish the night with eight points and 11
rebounds.
A
Hardin three gave the ORU its largest lead at 45-24 before Alicia
Kellogg answered from long range for the Sugar Bears, making it
45-27 at the break.
The two
teams traded baskets during the first part of the second half as
the Golden Eagles led 54-35 with less than 15:00 to go.
That�€™s when a Hardin jumper began an 18-2 run
for ORU that covered more than seven minutes of game time, giving
the home side their largest lead of the night at 72-37 with 7:27
left in the contest. Turek and Hardin led the charge during that
stretch, combining for 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting,
UCA
used an 8-1 run to pull within 73-45, but Jamie
Fithian (McPherson, Kan.) responded with four straight
points in a 6-0 spurt that quickly pushed the lead back to 79-45.
The Golden Eagles would lead by at least 28 points from their en
route to their 88-55 victory.
ORU
combined shot 50.0 percent (33-66) from the floor on the night,
including 44.4 percent (8-18) from long range. The Sugar Bears,
meanwhile, managed to hit just 23.5 percent (16-68) of their total
attempts with a 20.7 percent (6-29) mark from behind the arc.
The
Golden Eagles also held a 57-36 lead over UCA on the glass, using
18 offensive rebounds to gain a 23-8 advantage on second chance
points.
Watman
set a new season-high with 14 points thanks to a 4-of-5 effort from
long range, while Katie Langford (Arthurton,
Australia) used a pair of bombs to add 10 tallies in just 14
minutes of action.
UCA�€™s Caronica Randle led all players with 21
points, and Sharece Love chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds
for the Sugar Bears.
The
Golden Eagles will return to action next Saturday when they host
Valparaiso at 12:05 p.m. in both teams Mid-Continent Conference
opener.
-ORU-
