CANCUN, Mexico-Four players scored in double figures, but a
five-minute scoring drought late in the second half doomed Oral
Roberts in a 71-65 loss to Sam Houston State in the Cancun
Challenge, Tuesday at Moon Palace Resort.
After trailing by as many as eight (40-32) early in the second
half, the Golden Eagles (2-3) went on a 15-2 run and grabbed a
47-42 lead on a
Ken Holdman (Tulsa, Okla.)
layup with 11:14 to play. After the Bearkats (3-2) trimmed the lead
to 49-48,
Kyron Stokes (Mansfield,
Texas) hit a baseline jumper with 9:36 left for a 51-48 lead.
ORU went scoreless over the next 5:12 as Sam Houston State went on
an 11-0 run and took a 59-51 lead with 6:25 remaining. Michael
Craion (Kansas City, Mo.) stopped the run when he converted a
pair of free throws with 4:24 to go, pulling ORU within 59-53.
The Golden Eagles cut SHSU's lead down to a point twice, the last
time coming when
Kevin Ford (Portland, Ore.)
hit a layup with 42 seconds left. But Preston Brown's three-point
play with 25 second remaining gave the Bearkats a 69-65 lead, and
ORU never got closer.
ORU shot 43.9 percent from the field and 78.6 percent (11-14) from
the free throw line. The Golden Eagles out-rebounded SHSU, 37-29,
but ORU's 17 turnovers led to 21 points by the Bearkats.
Sam Houston State shot 50 percent from the field, despite a
1-for-12 effort from 3-point range.
Craion led ORU with 14 points, despite a 5-for-14 shooting effort.
He also grabbed 10 rebounds, had two assists and two steals.
Dominique Morrison (Kansas
City, Mo.) added 11 points, seven boards and three assists.
Ford and
Warren Niles (Cincinnati,
Ohio) chipped in 11 points each.
Corey Allmond led all scorers with 17 points for the Bearkats,
while Ashton Mitchell added 16.
The Golden Eagles take on Florida A&M, 12:30 p.m., Wednesday,
in ORU's final Cancun Challenge game.
--ORU--
