TULSA—In a season where Marcus
Lewis (Long Beach, Calif.) has made one big play after another,
perhaps none were more important than those made in the final
minutes of Thursday's 63-58 Summit League win over South Dakota
State at Mabee Center.
Down by four points with less than four minutes to play and with
ORU's regular-season title hopes – and a 34-game conference
home winning streak – hanging by a thread, Lewis scored seven
straight points to bring the Golden Eagles (16-13 overall, 14-3
Summit) back. Lewis' heroics set up a championship showdown between
the second place Eagles and league-leading North Dakota State on
Saturday at Mabee Center.
With South Dakota State leading 58-54, Lewis drove the right
baseline for a layup to make it 58-56 with 3:43 left. After the
Golden Eagles forced a turnover on the other end, Lewis rebounded a
missed jumper by
Robert Jarvis (Humble, Texas), then rebounded his
own miss for a layup and a foul. Lewis completed the three-point
play and gave ORU a 59-58 lead with 2:41 to play – ORU's first
lead in nearly nine minutes.
Lewis all but sealed the victory for the Golden Eagles on their
next trip down the floor, banking in a 12-foot jump hook with 53
seconds remaining for a 61-58 lead. The Jackrabbits (12-18, 7-10)
misfired on their next two possessions and Jarvis and Kelvin
Sango (Tulsa, Okla.) each made one free throw for the final
margin.
The Golden Eagles bolted out to a hot start, grabbing a 26-14 lead
when
Andre Hardy (San Diego, Calif.) completed a
three-point play with 7:33 left in the half. But from that point
on, ORU's offense went cold and the Jackrabbits trimmed the lead
down to 30-27 by halftime.
The Jacks made seven of their first 10 shots in the second half,
taking a 45-41 lead on a Michael Palarca layup with 12:08 left.
Jarvis responded with a three-pointer and Kyron
Stokes (Mansfield, Texas) followed with a layup as ORU regained
the lead at 46-45 with 11:15 remaining. But SDSU didn't go away,
eventually regaining the lead and pushing it to as many as five
points three different times before Lewis made his charge.
The Golden Eagles won despite one of their poorest shooting nights
of the season. ORU shot 35.7 percent from the field, and made just
5-of-23 from 3-point range (21.7 percent). A 44-29 rebounding
advantage helped the Golden Eagles, as did an 18-of-29 effort from
the free throw line.
South Dakota State shot 42.9 percent for the game – including
50 percent in the second half – but the Jacks missed their
last five shots. The Jacks were only 5-of-9 from the line.
Lewis led ORU with 18 points, making 7-of-9 from the field and
4-of-5 from the line. The senior forward tied a career-high with 13
rebounds and also had four assists.
Jarvis scored 16 points, but his 5-of-17 shooting line included a
2-for-11 effort from 3-point range. He was also 4-of-7 from the
stripe, but did have five assists. Stokes chipped in 12 points.
Anthony Cordova led SDSU with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kai
Williams and Palarca each scored 10.
The Golden Eagles conclude the regular season when they host North
Dakota State, 7:05 p.m., Saturday at Mabee Center. A win gives ORU
a share of its fifth consecutive Summit League title.
--ORU--
