TULSA, Okla. — Oral Roberts pulled away from Missouri State during the game’s final 24 minutes Wednesday to earn a 78-56 victory over the Lady Bears at the Mabee Center.
The Golden Eagles (5-4) carried the momentum from their Sunday win at 12th-ranked Oklahoma into a solid all-around performance, out-scoring MSU by a 49-26 margin in the last 23:40 of the contest, committing only four turnovers, and shooting 19-for-21 from the foul line after entering the game 62 percent on the season.
The Lady Bears fell to 2-6 following their seventh game away from home already this season, and begin a six-game homestand Sunday at 2 p.m. against Arkansas at JQH Arena.
Missouri State jumped out to a seven-point lead midway through the first quarter, assisting on five of its first six baskets and going up 16-9 on a Lee Ann Polowy 3-pointer with 4:04 left in the opening period.
From there, the Golden Eagles used three runs of eight points or better compared to one for the Lady Bears to build a 39-32 halftime lead. ORU scored the final eight points of the first quarter, then rattled off a 10-2 run early in the second period to lead 27-20 with 7:51 on the clock.
The Lady Bears countered with their own 8-0 run to lead 30-29 on a Shameka Ealy 3-pointer with 4:43 left until intermission, but the Golden Eagles responded with another 10-2 run to end the half.
ORU scored the first four points of the second half and led by double figures for the final 17-plus minutes of the game, extending the advantage to as many as 27 points after a 10-0 start to the fourth quarter.
Missouri State finished 21-of-62 from the field compared to 27-for-64 for ORU, and owned a 44-35 margin on the boards. Liza Fruendt led MSU with 12 points, while Rachel Swartz and Aubrey Buckley scored 10 apiece. Swartz’s point total matched a career high, Fruendt’s four assists equaled her career high, and Ealy pulled down a season-high eight rebounds.
