JimBob
12-21-2007, 01:30 PM
Eagle runaway
By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
12/21/2007
Jarvis leads ORU in thrashing of Cowboys
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oh, brother! Oral Roberts basketball coach Scott Sutton had some wildly conflicted emotions going Thursday night.
On the one hand, Sutton was overjoyed by how the Golden Eagles played in waylaying Oklahoma State 74-59 in the All-College Classic before a mostly partisan OSU crowd at the Ford Center.
On the other, Sutton knew how painful the loss must have been for his older brother and OSU's head coach, Sean Sutton. The brothers had never worked against each other as head coaches before.
"Personally, for me, it wasn't a lot of fun. I didn't enjoy it a bit," Sutton said. "I hurt for Sean and for his program because I've got a lot of friends on that (coaching) staff. But I'm really, really excited and proud of my team and my program."
Junior guard Robert Jarvis hit four 3-pointers among his game-high 21 points as ORU won by its widest margin in the series and held the Cowboys to their lowest point total in 20 meetings.
"When (the Sutton family is) at the table for Christmas dinner, we wanted coach (Scott) Sutton to have bragging rights," Jarvis said.
The more experienced Eagles got out quick on the youthful Cowboys and never let them up. ORU led 39-22 at halftime and never by fewer than 13 points in the second half.
"I thought Scott and his staff did a great job," Sean Sutton said. "They outexecuted us, outplayed us and outcoached us. We got in a funk early in the game and could never get out of it. I thought (ORU) played with more poise. They played tougher, and we just missed some easy shots."
ORU, which leads the Summit League in scoring defense and shooting defense, held its 11th consecutive foe under 50 percent from the field while pushing its record to 7-4.
The Cowboys (5-5) missed seven of eight shots from the paint in the first half and finished at 36.4 percent overall after hitting only 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) in the first half.
Senior forward Yemi Ogunoye held OSU freshman James Anderson scoreless. Anderson took only five shots in his 32 minutes in the game. The Cowboys' lead ing scorer was averaging 19.3 points per game.
"I think (Ogunoye's) the best defender in the country, hands down," Scott Sutton said. "He basically takes the opposing team's best (offensive) player out of the game. He's done it all year."
The 6-foot-9 Ogunoye held high-scoring Texas guard A.J. Abrams to eight points under his average in a 66-56 loss to the fourth-ranked Longhorns on Tuesday night.
The win was ORU's first over a Big 12 foe since last November with a 78-71 upset at then-No. 3 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.
The game might have been as much an indication of where OSU's program is in two years under Sean Sutton as it was of how far ORU has come in eight-plus seasons under Scott Sutton.
While OSU's pep band continued playing the "Dudley Do-Right" theme music, no one was riding to the rescue. That was especially true after Cowboy senior Marcus Dove went down in a pileup under the ORU basket late in the first half and was helped from the arena by support personnel.
The 6-foot-9 Dove was OSU's best player in the first half when he scored 12 of his team-high 18 points. Dove returned after intermission, but aside from Byron Eaton's three 3-pointers, hardly anything could help OSU.
ORU, 5-15 against the Cowboys, led by as many as 23 in the final half. When OSU cut its deficit to 13 on a rebound and putback by Marshall Moses with 5:15 left, ORU point guard Adam Liberty got free for a jumper from the lane and the Eagles quickly pushed their lead back to 20.
The Cowboys owned the game's first five minutes, but ORU quickly took control after Jarvis checked into the game.
By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
12/21/2007
Jarvis leads ORU in thrashing of Cowboys
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oh, brother! Oral Roberts basketball coach Scott Sutton had some wildly conflicted emotions going Thursday night.
On the one hand, Sutton was overjoyed by how the Golden Eagles played in waylaying Oklahoma State 74-59 in the All-College Classic before a mostly partisan OSU crowd at the Ford Center.
On the other, Sutton knew how painful the loss must have been for his older brother and OSU's head coach, Sean Sutton. The brothers had never worked against each other as head coaches before.
"Personally, for me, it wasn't a lot of fun. I didn't enjoy it a bit," Sutton said. "I hurt for Sean and for his program because I've got a lot of friends on that (coaching) staff. But I'm really, really excited and proud of my team and my program."
Junior guard Robert Jarvis hit four 3-pointers among his game-high 21 points as ORU won by its widest margin in the series and held the Cowboys to their lowest point total in 20 meetings.
"When (the Sutton family is) at the table for Christmas dinner, we wanted coach (Scott) Sutton to have bragging rights," Jarvis said.
The more experienced Eagles got out quick on the youthful Cowboys and never let them up. ORU led 39-22 at halftime and never by fewer than 13 points in the second half.
"I thought Scott and his staff did a great job," Sean Sutton said. "They outexecuted us, outplayed us and outcoached us. We got in a funk early in the game and could never get out of it. I thought (ORU) played with more poise. They played tougher, and we just missed some easy shots."
ORU, which leads the Summit League in scoring defense and shooting defense, held its 11th consecutive foe under 50 percent from the field while pushing its record to 7-4.
The Cowboys (5-5) missed seven of eight shots from the paint in the first half and finished at 36.4 percent overall after hitting only 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) in the first half.
Senior forward Yemi Ogunoye held OSU freshman James Anderson scoreless. Anderson took only five shots in his 32 minutes in the game. The Cowboys' lead ing scorer was averaging 19.3 points per game.
"I think (Ogunoye's) the best defender in the country, hands down," Scott Sutton said. "He basically takes the opposing team's best (offensive) player out of the game. He's done it all year."
The 6-foot-9 Ogunoye held high-scoring Texas guard A.J. Abrams to eight points under his average in a 66-56 loss to the fourth-ranked Longhorns on Tuesday night.
The win was ORU's first over a Big 12 foe since last November with a 78-71 upset at then-No. 3 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.
The game might have been as much an indication of where OSU's program is in two years under Sean Sutton as it was of how far ORU has come in eight-plus seasons under Scott Sutton.
While OSU's pep band continued playing the "Dudley Do-Right" theme music, no one was riding to the rescue. That was especially true after Cowboy senior Marcus Dove went down in a pileup under the ORU basket late in the first half and was helped from the arena by support personnel.
The 6-foot-9 Dove was OSU's best player in the first half when he scored 12 of his team-high 18 points. Dove returned after intermission, but aside from Byron Eaton's three 3-pointers, hardly anything could help OSU.
ORU, 5-15 against the Cowboys, led by as many as 23 in the final half. When OSU cut its deficit to 13 on a rebound and putback by Marshall Moses with 5:15 left, ORU point guard Adam Liberty got free for a jumper from the lane and the Eagles quickly pushed their lead back to 20.
The Cowboys owned the game's first five minutes, but ORU quickly took control after Jarvis checked into the game.