DePaul Shuts Down ORU Women

Oral Roberts turned the ball over 22 times and fell victim to a hot-shooting squad from DePaul, 97-74, on Friday night at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago.

ORU's record is now 3-7 with the loss.

DePaul (11-3) had six players in double-figures, led by Anna Martin's 19 points. Katherine Harry added 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Chanise Jenkins added 12 points and 10 assists.

Kevi Luper fought through foul trouble to lead the Golden Eagles with 17 points. Bernadett Balla added 12 points off the bench, while Christian Key chipped in 10.

The Blue Demons hit 13 3-point field goals, a season-high for an ORU opponent, and shot 46.8 percent as a team. Their 97-point output is a high watermark for a Golden Eagle foe in 2012-13.

The Golden Eagles shot 40.3 percent as a team.

The home team took their first significant lead midway through the opening half. A 6-0 run, capped by two Brittany Hrynko free throws, gave DePaul a 23-14 lead with 11:16 on the clock.

Turnovers continued to plague ORU and the Blue Demons took advantage, turning them into easy baskets. A 12-0 DePaul run late in the half was punctuated by a Jenkins bucket in transition, giving the home side a 46-24 lead with 3:02 left in the half.

The lead was 51-28 at the break for DePaul. The Blue Demons shot 43.9 percent in the opening period and forced ORU into 13 turnovers.

DePaul took their biggest lead with 8:54 left in the game, as Hrynko scored a deuce to push the score to 85-49.

ORU played their best basketball down the stretch, closing strong for the second straight game. Misti Cussen's team ended the game on a 25-12 run, cutting the deficit to 23 points on a Luper basket in the game's closing seconds.

DePaul is the first ORU opponent to have six double-figures scorers since LaSalle had six players score at least ten points on Nov. 22, 2010, in a victory over the Golden Eagles.

Several Golden Eagles had a solid night on the boards. Balla led the squad with eight rebounds, while Felecia Achilefu came off the bench to set career highs with seven points and seven boards.

The Golden Eagles open their first ever Southland Conference season on Thursday when they take on Southeastern Louisiana. Game time in Hammond, La., is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.