Luper's 32 Points Lead Oral Roberts Past UT-Arlington

Oral Roberts senior Kevi Luper stole the show Friday afternoon, scoring 32 points as the Golden Eagles knocked off UT-Arlington, 73-41. With the win, ORU improves to 2-0 on the young season.

Luper's 32 points came in just 29 minutes of action. She shot 13-for-19 from the floor and added seven rebounds, six steals and three blocked shots.

Senior Savanna Buck also had a fine day, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Bernadett Balla added 10 points, and Jaci Bigham dished nine assists.

ORU shot 51.9% (27-for-52) from the floor and held UTA to a 25.4% (15-for-59) clip.

The Mavericks (0-3) were led by Kelsey Wilson, who scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench.

ORU raced out to a 17-7 lead on a jumper from Luper at the 12:35 mark. The Adair native hit her first six shots.

But Wilson caught fire from downtown, tightening the gap late in the half. The sophomore hit her first three outside shots and closed the gap to 26-25 with a free throw at the 4:58 mark.

The Golden Eagles closed the half on a 9-3 run. A three-point play by Luper pushed the advantage to 35-28, and ORU went into the locker room with a seven-point lead.

Luper had 22 points at the half to lead all scorers, but Wilson did her best to match with 15 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting.

UTA scored just 13 points and only hit five field goals in the second half, and a close game at the break turned into a blowout. ORU's lead surpassed the 20-point mark, at 53-32, on a layup by Luper with 13:28 on the clock.

ORU hosts Arkansas in their next game, on Monday, November 19. Game time at the Mabee Center is scheduled for 7 pm CT.