OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—Five players scored in double figures and
Oral Roberts University turned in another stellar defensive effort
for a 74-59 win over Oklahoma State in the first-ever meeting
between head coaches and brothers Scott and
Sean Sutton, Thursday
at the 72nd O'Reilly All-College Classic at Ford Center.
The made-for-TV match-up was broadcast live nationally on ESPN2 as
part of the country's oldest college basketball tournament, and
pitted ORU's Scott against OSU's Sean. Little brother got the best
of his older sibling on this night.
The Golden Eagles (7-4) dominated the Cowboys (5-5) in nearly every
facet of the game, limiting OSU to 36.4 percent shooting --
including 29.2 percent in the first half -- and forcing 18
turnovers.
Senior forward
Yemi Ogunoye (Cedar Hill, Texas) added another
notch to his defender's belt by holding Oklahoma State freshman
sensation and leading scorer (19.5 ppg) James Anderson scoreless on
0-for-5 shooting. Ogunoye's last four defensive assignments (North
Dakota State's Ben Woodside; South Dakota State's Kai Williams;
Texas' A.J. Abrams, and Anderson) have combined to shoot 8-of-34
from the field and score 25 points.
The Golden Eagles trailed early, but wasted no time getting back in
it. A 16-2 run by ORU and a seven-and-a-half minute scoring drought
by the Cowboys helped turn a 10-6 Cowboys advantage into a 27-12
ORU lead.
Robert Jarvis (Humble, Texas) scored 10 of his
game-high 21 points during the run, and Oklahoma State missed five
consecutive shots and committed four turnovers during its
drought.
ORU's lead continued to swell. Three free throws and a jumper by Moses
Ehambe (Arlington, Texas) made it 34-17 with 3:38 before
halftime. Oklahoma State pulled to within 34-20, but a trey by
Ehambe and a layup by
Marcus Lewis (Long Beach, Calif.) gave ORU
its largest lead of the half at 39-20 with 1:11 left.
ORU led 39-22 at halftime, shooting 50 percent (12-24) from the
field and 11-of-16 from the line.
Oklahoma State tried to make a game of it in the second half, but
never got closer than 13 points. A three-pointer by Ehambe gave ORU
its first 20-point lead at 49-28 with 13:23 left.
The Golden Eagles maintained a 15-20 point advantage for much of
the game's remainder, until a late 8-0 run by the Cowboys made it
62-49 with 5:15 left. But a 10-0 run over the next 90 seconds made
it 72-49, putting the game out of OSU's reach for good.
Jarvis was 7-of-18 from the field, including 4-for-11 on
three-pointers. He also made three of four free throws in 38
minutes. Ehambe bounced back from a subpar performance on Tuesday
at No. 4 Texas (2 points, 1-of-8 shooting) to score 15 points and
grab six rebounds.
ORU shot 41.2 percent from the field, including 8-of-20 from
three-point range. The Golden Eagles also went 24-of-32 from the
free throw line.
Despite foul trouble, Liberty added 13 points and three assists,
while Lewis and
Shawn King (Bequia, St. Vincent) each scored 11
and grabbed six rebounds.
Marcus Dove led Oklahoma State with 18 points, while Byron Eaton
scored 15 and Terrel Harris chipped in 10.
Up next for ORU is the third of six consecutive road games when the
Golden Eagles visit Utah State, 8 p.m., Dec. 29 in Logan, Utah.
--ORU--
