TULSA�€"Marchello Vealy (Oklahoma
City, Okla.) recorded his first career double-double with 17 points
and 16 rebounds, leading Oral Roberts University to its eighth
straight win with a 73-63 victory over Oakland in a Mid-Continent
Conference first-place showdown, Thursday at Mabee Center.
After
missing ORU�€™s previous two games with a groin
injury, Vealy was the key figure as the Golden Eagles (14-7, 6-0)
matched their longest winning streak in head coach Scott
Sutton�€™s 8-year tenure. The sophomore
forward was 6-of-8 from the field with one 3-pointer, and 4-of-6
from the line in 27 minutes. He also added pair of blocks and an
assist.
ORU
appeared the have the game well in hand mid-way through the first
half. A layup and 3-pointer by Vealy capped a 9-0 run and gave the
Golden Eagles a 25-12 lead with 9:02 remaining before halftime. The
teams then combined to go 0-for-7 over the next 3:24 before
Shawn King (Bequia, St. Vincent) hit a layup for a
27-12 lead with 5:38 left.
But
Oakland (12-10, 5-1) stormed back, finishing the half on a 17-7
run. Derrick Nelson led the comeback, scoring 11 straight points
for the Golden Grizzlies to make it a 34-23 game with 2:04 left
before halftime. Erik Kangas connected on a 3-pointer and Johnathan
Jones knocked down a trey of his own to put Oakland within 34-29 at
halftime.
The
Golden Grizzlies continued their surge early in the second half,
opening with a 9-2 run for a 38-35 lead with 17:43 remaining. After
Adam Liberty�€™s (Oklahoma City,
Okla.) breakaway dunk gave ORU a 39-38 lead with 17:00 left, the
lead changed hands four more times before the Golden Eagles took
control for good.
A layup
by King gave ORU a 48-46 lead, and another breakaway dunk by
Liberty made it 50-46 with 9:06 to go. Vealy started a 15-4 run
with a turnaround jumper, and Ken Tutt (Garland,
Texas) and Moses Ehambe (Arlington, Texas) hit key
3-pointers to help give ORU a 67-54 lead with 2:32 left.
Oakland, fouling on every ORU possession, never got any closer then
nine points the rest of the way.
Caleb Green (Tulsa, Okla.) led the Golden Eagles
with 19 points, but he struggled from the field, making just
8-of-20 shots on his way to his 50th straight game in
double figures. He grabbed nine rebounds, and had three assists and
three steals. Tutt and Ehambe each scored 10 points for ORU.
Oakland
was led by Nelson�€™s 19 points, while Vova
Severovas added 12 points and six rebounds. Kangas scored 11 and
Shawn Hopes chipped in with 10.
The
Golden Eagles out-shot Oakland, hitting on 54.9 percent from the
field while limiting the Golden Grizzlies to 40.3 percent shooting,
including 29.4 percent (5-17) from 3-point range.
ORU
out-rebounded Oakland, 38-29, and the Golden
Eagles�€™ bench owned a 30-2 advantage in
scoring.
IUPUI
visits the Mabee Center, 7:05 p.m., Saturday on Hall of Fame
night.
--ORU--
