Tulsa World: Niles, Golden Eagles top Dillard in exhibition

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Niles, Golden Eagles top Dillard in exhibition

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Published: 11/2/2009 11:44 PM
Last Modified: 11/2/2009 11:44 PM

If there’s a silver lining to losing a high-profile freshman before the first game, the Oral Roberts basketball team found it Monday night.

With point guard Hunter McClintock sidelined by a season-ending knee injury over the weekend, young teammates are already getting more playing time than they probably would be otherwise.

True freshman Warren Niles made the most of his 22 minutes by scoring 16 points and dishing four assists as the Golden Eagles rolled to an impressive 82-57 exhibition win over the University of British Columbia, a veteran team with a blowout win already under its belt.

ORU held the visitors to only 32.3-percent shooting in the second half and broke open the game after leading 36-31 at the break.

“I thought we played about as well as we can play at this time of year,” head coach Scott Sutton said. “We did a lot of good things — 22 assists (on 27 baskets) with 11 turnovers. That’s terrific. I liked the way we shared the basketball. We made a lot of unselfish plays.”

Niles, from Cinncinati, Ohio, made four of the Eagles’ eight 3-pointers and scored 11 second-half points. He and sophomore guard Ken Holdman played a combined 46 minutes while McClintock watched in street clothes.

“I thought both guys played well,” Sutton said. “Together, they had 20 points and seven assists with no turnovers, and Ken’s a game-changer with his defensive quickness and ability to get steals.”

Holdman had four points, three assists and two steals, and made one of the game’s best defensive plays,

making a midcourt steal and 360-degree spin around UBC’s Kyle Watson to score a layup.

Niles wasn’t the only impressive newcomer. Junior college transfer Michael Craion had 18 points and nine rebounds, and 6-foot-10 true freshman Damen Bell-Holter scored 12 points with a 3-pointer.

Junior guard Rod Pearson, who transferred from Southeast Missouri State, shot only 1-of-12 from the field in his first live action in almost two years. But Pearson played so well otherwise that Sutton seemed unworried by the poor shooting night.

“Rod hasn’t shown how good a player he is offensively, but he pushed the ball tonight, defended and picked up seven assists with only one turnover in 26 minutes. His offense is going to come. I’m not concerned about that,” Sutton said.

By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS

Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Eagles cruise to win," which was published on 11/3/2009. So far, 2 comments have been made.

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