TULSA - The Oral Roberts University women's basketball team looks for their ninth win in the last 10 games at 7:05 p.m. tonight against Western Illinois at the Mabee Center. The contest will be broadcast live in the Tulsa area on KYAL 1550 AM, as well as on www.orugoldeneagles.com.

Scouting the Fighting Leathernecks
Western Illinois has won three consecutive Summit League games to improve to 9-15 overall and 5-8 in conference play. Senior Jordon O'Brien leads the Leathernecks with 10.1 points per game, while fellow senior Ashley Lord has added 6.4 points with a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per contest. Western Illinois is only averaging 48.9 points per game compared to its opponents' mark of 60.1. The Leathernecks have lost the rebound battle by a 4.2 margin.

All-Time Results Versus Western Illinois
Monday's contest marks the 30th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1995-96 season. The Golden Eagles had dropped four straight to the Leathernecks prior to this season's 82-57 victory in Macomb on Jan. 16. ORU is 4-8 all-time against Western Illinois at the Mabee Center.

The Last Time They Met
Four players scored in double figures as the ORU cruised to an 82-57 victory at Western Illinois on Jan.16 to snap a four-game losing skid against the Leathernecks. Jaci Bigham led all players with 24 points, while also handing out six assists and swiping four steals. Bigham went 7-of-13 from the field, 6-of-12 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Bigham drained four treys down the stretch and totaled 16 second-half points. Kevi Luper added 16 points, highlighted by a 9-of-10 effort from the charity stripe, to go with five rebounds and four assists. Senior Janae Voelker tallied 15 points and led the squad with eight boards. Voelker tied a career-high with four treys on five attempts. Freshman Alex Adekunle set a then-career high in points for the second straight game with 14, shooting 6-of-8 from the field. Adekunle scored seven of the team's first 10 points in the opening 3:35 of the contest. The Golden Eagles blew open a tight contest with an 18-6 run over the final 6:08 of the first half, including 13 points in the final. 2:24. The Leathernecks were held without a field goal for the remaining 8:48 of the half. In the second half, Western Illinois cut the lead to 14 points with 12:46 left to play before the Golden Eagles fired up a 3-point barrage. Three different players knocked down seven of the eight second-half treys in the final 12:37 to put the game out of reach.

Among the Nation's Best
The Golden Eagles are at or near the top of several statistical categories in the NCAA for team and individual accomplishments. ORU leads the nation inscoring offense with 85.6 points per game and steals with 15.8 per contest, while ranking third in 3-point field goals per game (8.8), eighth in turnover margin (+6.9) and 33rd in assists per game (15.6). Kevi Luper tops the NCAA in steals per game (4.4), while ranking second in scoring with 25.7 points per contest. Fellow freshman Jaci Bigham ranks 12th nationally with 3.1 3-pointers per game, while placing 22nd in 3-point percentage (.430) and 23rd with 5.4 assists per game.

The Kids are Alright
Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper make up the nation's highest-scoring backcourt, combining for 43.5 points per contest through the opening 25 games this season, which accounts for 49 percent of ORU's total offense. Luper, who scored a Summit League-record 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20, ranks second in the country with 25.7 points per game, while Bigham has chipped in 17.8 points per contest. Luper set a conference record by earning four consecutive Summit League Player of the Week awards and has won six total this season, while Bigham has also collected three for a total of nine of the 13 weekly accolades. The two freshman guards have led the Golden Eagles in scoring in all but one contest this season. Luper, a native of Adair, Okla., has scored in double figures in all 23 games played this season, including seven performances of 30 or more points. Luper also set a school record with 12 steals against the Thunderbirds, and currently leads the nation with 4.4 steals per game. Bigham, a McAlester, Okla., product, has scored in double figures in the last 18 contests. Bigham averaged 31.0 points per game when Luper missed two contests at the end of December with an injury. Bigham and Luper combined for 100 points in back-to-back games against South Dakota State (Jan. 30) and North Dakota State (Feb. 1). Bigham currently ranks third all-time at ORU for a single season with 77 3-pointers, while Luper ranks second for a single season with 102 steals.

Early and Often
The Golden Eagles' new up-tempo style offense has been evident this season, as ORU leads the nation in scoring with 85.6 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have posted four 100-point games, including victories over Southern Utah and IUPUI, marking the first time in school history ORU has passed the century mark against a league opponent. ORU also surpassed the 100-point mark in back-to-back wins at Houston Baptist (101-59) and Sam Houston State (101-85). The Golden Eagles have also produced against high-caliber opponents, posting 80 points at No. 20 Kansas and at No. 17 Texas. ORU has knocked down 221 3-pointers this season, including a school-record 18 against UMKC. Kevi Luper, a freshman from Adair, Okla., has led the ORU scoring attack by averaging 25.7 points, which ranks second in the country. Luper set a Summit League record with 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20. Three other ORU starters are averaging double-digit points per game, including Jaci Bigham (17.8), Janae Voelker (11.0) and Jordan Pyle (11.1). If the Golden Eagles continue their high-scoring ways this season, they could be on track to breaking the school record for points per game, which was 81.2, set during the 1982-83 season. The 1982-83 squad is the only team in ORU history to average more than 80 points per contest. The most points an ORU team led by Jerry Finkbeiner has averaged is 68.0 during the 2005-06 season.

Record Watch
Senior Janae Voelker continues to climb the career charts at ORU, while freshmen Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper have started their assault on the single-season marks. Voelker ranks third with 888 career rebounds and ninth with 1,314 points, needing 38 more to slide into eighth spot. Voelker also ranks seventh all-time with 195 steals and 10th with 482 made field goals. Luper currently ranks second for a single season with 102 steals, needing13 more to set a new ORU record. Luper has posted 592 points this season, which currently ranks seventh in Summit League history and is only 67 points shy of the all-time mark. Bigham ranks third for a single season and first since ORU began Division I play with 77 3-pointers, while placing ninth at ORU with 136 assists.

ORU Versus The Summit League
The Golden Eagles are in first place in the Summit League standings with a 11-3 record, averaging 87.2 points to their opponents' 69.1 points per game. ORU knocked down 35 3-pointers in its first two league games against Southern Utah and UMKC, and handed South Dakota State its first-ever conference loss at home. After a loss to IPFW on Jan. 9, the Golden Eagles won seven consecutive conference games before falling to IPFW again on Feb. 8. Four starters for ORU are currently leading the league in at least one category. Kevi Luper is averaging a league-best 35.4 minutes, while posting 25.7 points and 4.4 steals per game. Jaci Bigham is first in assists per game (5.4) and second in 3-point field goals (77) and 3-point percentage (.430). Janae Voelker tops the league in defensive rebounds (165) and ranks second with 8.2 rebounds per game. Jordan Pyle paces the conference in field-goal percentage (.603) and offensive rebounds (82). Since joining the conference prior to the 1997-98 season, ORU is 114-92 (.553) in regular-season play, 18-7 (.720) in tournament action and 132-99 (.571) overall.

Scrappy Defense
ORU has not only put together a high-powered offense this season, but also employs a swarming defense, leading the nation in steals (15.8 per game) and ranking 12th in turnover margin (+6.9). The Golden Eagles have forced 30 or more turnovers in five of the last seven games and nine total contests this season, including an ORU-recrord 47 against IUPUI on Saturday. In ORU's 86-75 win over South Dakota State on Jan. 30, the Golden Eagles forced 33 turnovers, which was the most for a Jackrabbit team since Nov. 11, 2001. Freshman Kevi Luper leads the country with 4.4 steals per game and needs only 13 more steals to set a new school record. Senior Janae Voelker ranks second on the team with 71 steals, and has posted five or more steals in five of the last seven games, including a career-high eight against South Dakota State on Jan. 30.

No Place Like Home
The Golden Eagles back the belief about home field advantage, posting a 132-48 record (.733) inside the friendly confines of the Mabee Center since the 1996-97 season when head coach Jerry Finkbeiner took over the reigns of the program. ORU is currently 9-2 at home this season with wins over UT-Pan American, La Salle, Southern Utah, UMKC, Evangel, Oakland, South Dakota State, North Dakota State and IUPUI. Against Southern Utah on Dec. 5, the Golden Eagles tallied 109 points and set a school record with 17 3-pointers. ORU surpassed that mark the next game against UMKC with 18 treys in a 99-72 victory. On Saturday, ORU defeated IUPUI by a score of 114-43, forcing a school-record 47 turnovers.The Golden Eagles are forcing 29.6 turnovers on 18.5 steals on the season against opponents at the Mabee Center. ORU is averaging 88.6 points at home this season compared to its opponent's 68.0 points per game.

ORU Basketball Coaches Hour
Join ORU coaches and athletes every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for the ORU Coaches Hour, broadcast live from Pepper's Grill at 91st & Delaware and carried on FM 97.1 "The Sports Animal". Tulsa radio personality Geoff Haxton hosts the one-hour call-in show. Men's head coach Scott Sutton and women's head coach Jerry Finkbeiner are regular guests.

Finkbeiner to Appear Weekly on 97.1 FM The Sports Animal
Head coach Jerry Finkbeiner will make a special appearance on 97.1 FM The Sports Animal every Monday morning at 9:45 a.m. for the remainder of the season. Finkbeiner will join host Kevin Ward in the "Animal Fodder" section of the morning show.

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