ORU, TU women set for rivalry game
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Friday, November 09, 2012
11/09/12 at 6:05 AM
Two of the best players in Mayor's Cup history - Taleya Mayberry and Kevi Luper - will share a court for the last time when Oral Roberts plays host to the University of Tulsa in a regular-season women's basketball opener at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mabee Center.
It's the end of one era and perhaps the start of another. For the next four years, two former Shawnee standouts could help determine who has the better women's basketball program in the city.
Starting at guard for TU is freshman guard Kelsee Grovey. Starting at forward for ORU is freshman forward Taylor Cooper.
They helped Shawnee to an unbeaten state championship campaign last season. And now they're sharing a court, again, in their first collegiate game, albeit as opponents.
They're the new. This is the old - ORU owns a 29-7 Mayor's Cup advantage, but TU has won the last two games in the series.
Mayberry, the fifth-leading scorer in her school's history, played all 40 minutes and scored 18 points in helping the Golden Hurricane to a 65-57 homecourt victory last season.
Luper, the leading scorer in her school's history, collected 32 points and five steals, but her team shot 32.1 percent from the field, including 21.2 percent after halftime.
This will be the first Mayor's Cup game as a head coach for ORU's Misti Cussen, a longtime Golden Eagle assistant who was promoted after former coach Jerry Finkbeiner departed.
Cussen is the wife of TU women's soccer coach Kyle Cussen.
Misti Cussen said the people in the ORU and TU basketball programs are all good friends and acquaintances.
"There are a lot of Oklahoma girls on both rosters," she said. "So the players are very familiar with each other and that creates a great rivalry any time our two universities play one another."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
TU at ORU
7 p.m. Friday
Mabee Center
TV: Available to ELive subscribers on ORUGoldenEagles.com.
Radio: KAKC am1300, Chrome fm93.5, KWTU fm88.7
TU (0-0)
|
|
Ht. |
Pt. |
Rb. |
| G |
Grovey |
5-8 |
- |
- |
| G |
Mayberry |
5-6 |
14.7 |
3.3* |
| G |
Clark |
5-11 |
- |
-- |
| F |
Cousinard |
6-1 |
7.5 |
8.0 |
| F |
McDaniel |
6-2 |
4.9 |
5.6 |
ORU (0-0)
|
|
Ht. |
Pt. |
Rb. |
| F |
Cooper |
6-0 |
- |
- |
| F |
Balla |
6-2 |
6.5 |
3.8 |
| G |
Buck |
6-0 |
5.0 |
3.3 |
| G |
Luper |
5-10 |
23.8 |
3.8 |
| G |
Bigham |
5-6 |
6-8 |
4.3* |
*assists per game
(2011-12 averages)
Original Print Headline: ORU, TU set for rivalry game
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
