SPRINGFIELD -- Cold shooting and some clutch play by a veteran Oral Roberts squad did in the Missouri State Lady Bears, as the Golden Eagles hit on 54.2 percent of their second-half field goal attempts to come away with a 56-51 victory at JQH Arena in women’s college basketball action Wednesday (Nov. 26) evening. Janae Voelker’s 13-point, 12-rebound effort led the way for ORU, which improved to 4-1 on the season.
After Missouri State had taken a 35-29 lead on a
Jasmine Malone layup with 11:44 to play, ORU used a 15-3 scoring run to seize the lead for good. Mariana Camargo’s basket started a string of nine unanswered points and a spurt that saw the visitors ultimately build a six-point advantage.
The Golden Eagles’ defense stiffened as well, allowing only five MSU points over a six and-a-half minute span. Missouri State, which shot just .328 from the floor in the contest, rallied to pull within one on two occasions, and had several opportunities to close the gap from the foul line late in the game. But the Lady Bears struggled from the charity stripe as well, converting just 4-of-11 (.364) shots on the night.
Conversely, ORU was able to put the game away in the final minute on the strength of Amy Pryor’s accuracy--and inaccuracy--from the line. With the Golden Eagles leading by two points with 0:16 left in regulation, the junior guard sank the front end of a one-and-one, then grabbed her own rebound on a missed bonus attempt. She was promptly fouled and returned to the line, where she calmly hit both shots to seal the five-point win for ORU.
The victory for ORU did not come without a fight from a young, but hungry Missouri State team. The Lady Bears turned in a solid defensive effort in the first 20 minutes of the contest, forcing 13 turnovers in the opening period. The Lady Bears got off to a sluggish start offensively, connecting on just 28.6 percent (10-of-35) of their first-half field goal attempts. Missouri State hit just one of its first 11 shots from the field as ORU built a 7-2 lead.
But back-to-back baskets by
Casey Garrison and
Jacque Griggs sparked a 15-3 scoring run that put MSU up 17-13 with just under eight minutes to play in the half.
Voelker answered with field goals on successive possessions to knot the score and start a 10-3 run for ORU. A Noelia Quintas jumper with 5:31 to go gave the Golden Eagles a 19-17 edge and, after Garrison responded with a three-pointer on MSU’s next trip down the floor to vault the Lady Bears back into the lead, the visitors scored on jumpers from Jones and Camargo to grab a 23-20 advantage.
Garrison’s running banker with just two seconds left in the period pulled MSU back to within one at the break, and when the Lady Bears opened the second stanza by scoring 11 of the first 13 points to take its largest lead of the game, all signs pointed to a repeat of MSU’s second-half performance from Sunday against Arkansas State, when it scored the first 15 points after intermission to take control of a close ballgame.
But ORU’s veteran cast came through down the stretch to withstand Missouri State’s challenge. Jones (12 points), Pryor (10 points) and Camargo (10 points) also finished in double figures to help ORU overcome a 25-turnover night and send the Lady Bears to their third defeat in four contests this season.
Garrison led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. The Bolivar, Mo., product also recorded game-highs of six steals and four assists. Griggs also turned in a solid effort for MSU, totaling 10 points, two steals and five rebounds.
Up next, Missouri State will embark on a two-game road trip, beginning with a Saturday (Nov. 29) match-up against Saint Louis that will be televised in Springfield by Mediacom Connections (MCC-14). The Lady Bears and Billikens will tip-off at 7 p.m.
