SHREVEPORT, La.—
Kelvin Sango (Tulsa, Okla.) scored a
career-high 15 points and Oral Roberts University survived 20
turnovers and a poor night at the free throw for an 84-71 Summit
League win over Centenary, Saturday at the Gold Dome.
The Golden Eagles (11-11, 9-1 Summit) won their eighth consecutive
game and reached the .500 mark overall for the first time since the
second game of the season. The win also helps ORU keep pace with
North Dakota State atop the Summit standings.
Sango spearheaded a balanced attack which saw four Golden Eagles
reach double figures in scoring. He also limited Centenary scoring
leader Nick Stallings (17.0 ppg) to five points on 2-of-11
shooting.
ORU and the Gents (7-15, 5-5) exchanged leads throughout the first
half. The Golden Eagles led 10-2, 12-4, and 15-7 but couldn't get
more breathing room. ORU led 23-17 with 9:42 left before halftime,
but Centenary went on a 10-3 run and grabbed a 27-26 lead on a
Lance Hill layup with 4:43 left.
Centenary's lead grew to 37-34 with under a minute before halftime,
but
Marcus Lewis (Long Beach, Calif.) and Dominique
Morrison (Kansas City, Mo.) each hit layups in the final 40
seconds to put ORU up 38-37 at the break.
The Golden Eagles took control of the game early in the second
half, opening the final 20 minutes with a 13-5 run for a 50-42 lead
with 15:17 to play. After Centenary cut it to 52-46, a pair of free
throws by
Kyron Stokes (Mansfield, Texas) and three-pointer
by
Robert Jarvis (Humble, Texas) made it 57-46 with
12:28 to play.
ORU kept the lead between seven and 11 points, and all but put the
game away with 3:34 left. With the Golden Eagles leading 70-63,
Stallings was called for a shooting foul and the bench received a
technical. Jarvis made all four free throws for a 74-63 lead.
Centenary never got closer than eight points the rest of the
way.
The Golden Eagles shot 53.7 percent from the field, making 9-of-14
from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles were just 17-of-32 from the
line, but out-rebounded the Gents, 41-30.
Centenary shot 42.9 percent from the field, and was 10-of-24 from
beyond the arc.
Sango finished 4-of-6 from the field, including a pair of
three-pointers, and was perfect from the line in four trips. He
added five assists, four steals and two blocked shots.
Lewis led ORU with 21 points, making 10-of-14 shots from the field.
Jarvis scored 20, adding six rebounds and five assists. Kevin
Ford (Portland, Ore.) added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Gary Redus led all scorers with 23 points for Centenary. Hill
scored 17 and Chase Adams had 15.
ORU looks to continue its winning ways when they visit Oakland, 6
p.m., Thursday.
--ORU--
