ORU Clinches Share Of Summit League Title With 61-51 Win

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – Oral Roberts claimed at least a share of the Summit League regular season title on Saturday night with a 61-51 victory over Western Illinois.

The win, which was part of the school's homecoming celebration, moved the Golden Eagles to 15-1 in conference play and 23-5 overall.

It also extended ORU's home winning streak to 22 games, the third longest streak in the nation.

"That was a grinder of a game," coach Scott Sutton. "I'm proud of my guys for gutting that out, and I am proud of this group for winning at least a share of the Summit League championship."

The game got off to an extremely slow-paced start, with Oral Roberts leading just 25-19 at the break.

But an 8-2 run from Western Illinois got things going in the second half and before long the two teams were tied at 29.

Though the Leathernecks took a brief lead, ORU got good production from Dominique Morrison as it began to put some distance between itself and Western Illinois.

Morrison had 13 points in the second half and finished with 17 overall.

With under a minute to play, a bucket from Steven Roundtree put the Golden Eagles up by nine, and several free throws down the stretch eventually pulled the lead up to 10, the final margin of victory and the largest lead of the game for either team.

Michael Craion, Roderick Pearson and Roundtree all joined Morrison in double figures for the Golden Eagles.

Ceola Clark of Western Illinois led all scorers in the game with 23, and Edmond Memorial grad Obi Emegano scored six points for the Leathernecks.

If Oral Roberts wins its next game, it can clinch sole possession of a first-place finish in the Summit League. A loss from South Dakota State in its next game would also guarantee that first-place finish for ORU.

The Golden Eagles will look to lock up their title on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. when they take on IPFW on the road.