By Rob Walden, ORU Assistant Director of Media Relations
TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts University hung with the University of Tulsa for 20 minutes of play, but TU got the best of the Golden Eagles down the stretch to claim the PSO Mayor’s Cup, 72-58, on Tuesday night at the Reynolds Center. The loss is ORU’s fourth in a row and drops the Golden Eagles to 1-4.
Jenni Bryan led the Golden Eagles with a career-high 15 points, while freshmen Alexus Wilson and Kaylan Mayberry added 12 and 11 points each. But the Golden Eagles could not find a groove offensively, shooting just 37.9% from the floor.
Ashley Clark was a force for Tulsa (3-1), with 19 points and 13 rebounds from the guard spot. Kelsee Grovey hit four three-pointers and added 18 points, while Mariah Turner scored 12 points from the post.
With the win, Tulsa has now taken the Mayor’s Cup in three of the last four seasons, although ORU holds a 29-8 edge all-time.
Tulsa shot 46.8% from the floor and they owned the paint, scoring 42 points to ORU’s 24 inside the lane. The Golden Hurricane outrebounded ORU, 46-33.
Things looked promising for ORU in the early going, as Misti Cussen’s team controlled much of the first half. A Bryan three-pointer at the 7:57 mark of the opening period gave the Golden Eagles their largest lead, 21-16.
But Tulsa came back with a 12-4 run to go ahead, 28-23, and they went into the half with a 32-30 lead. The opening stanza featured six ties and four lead changes.
Bryan led ORU with 10 points at the break, while Clark paced all players with 15 points and nine rebounds.
The game turned in Tulsa’s favor on consecutive three-pointers by Grovey early in the second half. The second of the daggers, at the 17:49 mark, gave Tulsa a 40-33 edge, and the lead was never smaller than five points for the remainder of the game.
Tulsa took their first double-digit lead at 55-45 on a Stevi Parker layup with 8:17 left, and they ended the game on an 8-2 run to win by 14 points.
Defensively, ORU got a strong effort from Sarah Shelton, who was credited with five blocks and a career-high four steals. The senior added eight points and 10 rebounds, a team-high.
Off the bench, freshman Dorottya Balla provided a nice boost in her first appearance since November 10, with a career-high eight points.
The Golden Eagles will try to right the ship on Saturday, November 30, when they host UALR. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 pm at the Mabee Center, and tickets are available by calling 495-7ORU.