Tulsa - ORU Cruises in Exhibition Opener, 82-57

TULSA?Four different players scored in double-figures as Oral Roberts opened the exhibition portion of its 2009-10 schedule with an 82-57 win over British Columbia, Monday at Mabee Center.

Newcomers led the way for the Golden Eagles in a surprisingly easy win over the 2009 Canadian collegiate runners-up. Junior forward Michael Craion (Kansas City, Mo.) led the balanced effort with 18 points, adding nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in his ORU debut. Freshman guard Warren Niles (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 16 points and four assists, hitting 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

Freshman forward Damen Bell-Holter added 12 points, while sophomore forward Dominique Morrison (Kansas City, Mo.) was the lone returning letterwinner to reach double-digits, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals.


Josh Whyte led the Thunderbirds with 16 points.

The Golden Eagles trailed briefly in the first half after a 7-0 run put the Thunderbirds ahead 21-17 with 9:27 before halftime. ORU used a 10-1 run to grab a 27-22 lead with 5:45 left before halftime and never looked back. The lead swelled to as many as 27 points when a Craion layup gave ORU a 76-49 lead with 3:05 remaining.

The Golden Eagles overcame a sluggish first half which saw them hold a 36-31 halftime lead despite shooting just 33.3 percent. ORU finished the game at 40.9 percent from the field, making 13-of-26 in the second half.

ORU limited UBC to 32.3 percent shooting for the game, including 29.6 percent in the second half. The Golden Eagles handed out 22 assists while committing only 11 turnovers. ORU made eight of its 18 three-point field goals, and shot 69 percent (20-29) from the free throw line. The Thunderbirds made 5-of-15 from beyond the arc and were 12-of-17 from the line.

The Golden Eagles close out their two-game exhibition schedule when they host Harding, 7:05 p.m., Saturday at Mabee Center

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