TULSA—Shawn King (Bequia, St. Vincent) scored
a career-high 20 points to lead Oral Roberts University to an 84-59
win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the season-opener for both
teams, Friday at Mabee Center.
The
6-foot-10 King was nearly perfect from the field against the
Bulldogs, making 9-of-10 shots. He added a pair of free throws, six
rebounds, two steals and a block to his scoring total.
The Golden
Eagles struggled early against the Division II Bulldogs, trailing
four times in the opening minutes of the first half before a 10-2
run put ORU in control. Moses Ehambe (Arlington,
Texas) started the run with a 3-pointer, and King finished it with
a layup for a 25-18 lead with 8:35 left before halftime.
Southwestern
pulled within three points at 25-22 on an Abdullah Lawal layup with
7:48 to go, but ORU quickly pushed its lead to double-digits.
Robert Jarvis (Humble, Texas) scored five points
during a 13-2 run to help the Golden Eagles to a 38-24 lead with
3:41 left.
ORU led
43-32 at halftime behind 19 points from Jarvis.
In the
second half, ORU turned up the defense and put the Bulldogs away.
The Golden Eagles limited SWOSU to 25.8 percent shooting in the
final 20 minutes, enabling ORU to push the lead to as many as 27
points before settling for the final margin.
Ehambe and
Jarvis supported King's career night, as both players finished with
19 points. Ehambe was 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from
3-point range, and made all four of his free throws. Jarvis was
6-for-12, including five 3-pointers, and added three assists and
three rebounds.
Nate Perry
led Southwestern with 16 points and seven rebounds.
ORU enjoyed
a balanced night offensively, shooting 56 percent (14-25) in each
half. The Golden Eagles were 9-of-23 (39.1 percent) from behind the
arc, and made 19-of-25 free throws.
SWOSU shot
just 34.4 percent for the game, and just 5-of-16 from 3-point
range. The Bulldogs forced 26 turnovers and picked up 14
steals.
The Golden
Eagles out-rebounded Southwestern, 40-32.
ORU returns
to action when it faces No. 15 Texas A&M in the opening round
of the NIT Season Tip-Off, 8 p.m., Tuesday, in College Station,
Texas. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
--ORU--
