ORU falls at Memphis 72-57
BY Eric Bailey World Sports Writer
Friday, December 28, 2012
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Oral Roberts faced steep odds even before taking the basketball court against a talented Memphis team on Friday night.
The Golden Eagles lost Steven Roundtree (day-to-day) to an ankle injury during a Thursday practice at the FedExForum, decimating a lineup already dealing with injury issues.
ORU — which only had eight players available — never found its groove as Memphis defeated the Eagles 72-57 before an announced crowd of 16,410.
The Eagles (5-7) dropped their third straight contest. The team will make its Southland Conference debut with a road game at Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday night.
Memphis (8-3) did a good job defensively on Warren Niles, the Golden Eagles’ top scorer. The senior guard entered the game averaging 21.3 points an outing but missed his first nine shots. He didn’t sink a bucket until hitting a baseline jumper with 6:20 remaining in a game that already out of reach.
Damen Bell-Holter was a bright spot for the Eagles. The 6-9 post player had 18 points and 14 rebounds to claim his second double-double this season and 13th of his ORU career.
The senior kept the Eagles close in the first half, scoring nine of ORU’s final 11 points before intermission to keep his team within 38-26 at the break.
Memphis was paced by junior guards Antonio Barton (17 points) and Joe Jackson (13 points).
Associated Images:
Memphis' Shaq Goodwin (center) grabs a rebound between Oral Roberts' Damen Bell-Holter (left) and Brandon Conley during the first half of Friday's game in Memphis, Tenn. Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal/AP
|
