Tulsa Claims Second Straight Mayor's Cup

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – It goes down on paper as another win, but it goes down in the players' minds as defending a rivalry title.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane claimed their second straight Mayor's Cup with a 65-57 victory over Oral Roberts on Tuesday at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

ORU led by five points at halftime but gave it up with a rough second half, shooting just 21 percent (7-of-33) after the break.

Kevi Luper had her usual night for the Golden Eagles, dropping 32 of her team's 57 points, but couldn't get much help offensively. Even Luper herself had trouble in the second half, missing 13 straight shots at one point.

Tulsa had a balanced scoring attack in the largely defensive game with three players reaching double figures.

Taleya Mayberry led TU with 18, Chanice Scott has 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Mariah Turner added a career-high 10.

The Golden Hurricane shot a season-best 40 percent from the field as well as from 3-point range.

Tulsa coach Matilda Mossman said another win is always a good thing, but a rivalry win is a huge boost for morale.

"We felt early on with this group all we needed was just some early wins, but even though we lost the first three the kids kept believing and still had confidence," she said. "I am excited about where we've come since early November."

The Golden Hurricane (2-3) will hit the court again on Saturday, Dec. 3 against Utah Valley. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Central time in Orem, Utah.

Oral Roberts (5-2) return home on Saturday to open Summit League play against Southern Utah at 2:05 p.m.