Women's Basketball 2/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

ORU Falls to Western Illinois on Westerwinds Senior Night, 54-51

MACOMB, Ill. - Despite a 28-27 halftime lead, the Oral Roberts' women's basketball team (14-11, 8-6 Summit League) could not overcome Amanda Walker's 22 points, falling to Western Illinois (13-13, 11-4 Summit League) on the Westerwinds senior night.

Junior Janae Voelker led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 14 points, tying her career-high three-pointers with four, as well as grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Mariana Camargo was the only other ORU player in double-digits with 12 points, while dishing out six assists and grabbing six boards.

As mentioned, Amanda Walker's 22 points was a game-high for Western Illinois, while Katy Davenport finished with 14 for the Westerwinds.

WIU forced the Golden Eagles to a season-high 23 turnovers, but it was also a high turnover night for Western with 24. WIU grabbed 32 rebounds to ORU's 28 and the 'Winds scored 13-of-16 points from the free-throw strip, while the Golden Eagles shot only seven free-throws all night, making five of them.

Western Illinois' Amanda Walker opened the first half by scoring six of WIU's eight points, while Camargo scored ORU's only field goal in the first six minutes, 8-3. Turnovers hurt the Golden Eagles early, committing 12 in the first 11 minutes.

ORU battled back from a seven-point deficit twice in the first half with a Kelly Kindell three-pointer to get the Golden Eagles back to within three with 5:58 left, while Voelker's trey put ORU down by three at the 2:28 mark.

Leanne Robison's back-to-back baskets tied the game at 27-27 with 1:18 left to play, but Western immediately took the lead back with two-straight free-throws by Stephanie Lovingood. With 37 seconds left to play in the half, Voelker nailed her second three of the game, giving the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game to head to the locker room with the 28-27 advantage.

ORU jumped out to a 35-31 lead early in the second half, but the Westerwinds outscored the Golden Eagles 12-0 - in large part to Katy Davenport's two trey's - to regain their first half lead, 43-35. Jenny Hardin's layin at the 9:15 mark was ORU's first basket in five minutes, but WIU's Walker scored her second three-pointer of the game to put Western up by nine, 46-37, their biggest lead of the game.

A 12-2 run, capped by a Kiindell jumper, got the Golden Eagles back to within one point of WIU, but Walker was the buzz-killer, knocking in back-to-back baskets to open Western's lead to three, 54-51, with 48 seconds to play which they would hold the remainder of the game to take the series sweep for the first time in three years.

ORU returns to the Mabee Center for its final homestand of the 2007-08 season as the Golden Eagles host UMKC at 7:05 p.m. on Feb. 23 and Southern Utah at 7:05 p.m. on Feb. 25.

-ORU-

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Players Mentioned

#11 Janae Voelker: G/F; 6' 0"; Redshirt; Newton HS

#12 Jenny Hardin: F/C; 6' 2"; Junior; Claremore HS

#10 Kelly Kindell: G; 5' 4"; Sophomore; Schulter HS

#25 Leanne Robison: G; 6' 0"; Redshirt; Community RV-I HS

Players Mentioned

#11 Janae Voelker
: 6' 0"; Redshirt; Newton HS
: G/F

#12 Jenny Hardin
: 6' 2"; Junior; Claremore HS
: F/C

#10 Kelly Kindell
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; Schulter HS
: G

#25 Leanne Robison
: 6' 0"; Redshirt; Community RV-I HS
: G