Tutt seals deal with crunch-time basket - Tulsa World (3-7-2007)

[ORUTerry]

Tutt seals deal with crunch-time basket

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by JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

3/7/2007

Oral Roberts shooting star Ken Tutt has spent four years playing in the rather large shadow of Caleb Green, a dominant force in the revival of the Golden Eagles.

Green figured large in ORU's showdown with Oakland for the Mid-Continent Conference title on Tuesday night at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center.

His 28 points kept Oral Roberts within range of hot-shooting Oakland during the first 20 minutes.

But it was Tutt who sealed the deal and sent ORU to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year in a thrilling 71-67 victory.

Tutt opened the second half with five quick points, helping to narrow an 11-point deficit, then hit the shot of the game, a running 10-footer with 31.8 seconds left.

"Green could have had 50," said Oakland coach Greg Kampe. "We weren't going to let someone else beat us while we were trying to stop Green.

"We knew the key to this game was stopping Ken Tutt. He hit the shot of the game. The shot he made was probably deserving. I'm telling you that Ken Tutt is every bit as good and every bit as important as anyone on that team."

Green stole the show early, when he knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the first 14 minutes of the game.

But in the end it was Tutt who saved the day.

"Everyone knows who Ken Tutt is," said Green. "Everyone knows Ken Tutt is King Tutt.

"He hit a big shot for us. That's what he does."

The Eagles certainly needed a big shot.

"We made it tough on ourselves," said Sutton. "We got late in the game and couldn't buy a basket.

"We made this game a whole lot more difficult than it should have been."

After Tutt's layup with a little over four minutes left gave ORU a 67-61 lead, the Eagles went cold.

They didn't hit another shot until Tutt's go-ahead bucket.

During the cold spell, Green missed a layup and two free throws.

"I don't know how many game-winners Ken has hit for us over the last four years but it has been a bunch," said Sutton. "He's just a real clutch player.

"He's a great competitor. He's not afraid to have the ball in his hands at the end of a game."

Tutt wasn't the only player not afraid to have the game in his hands.

ORU's Adam Liberty, the transfer from Wichita State, wanted a shot to win the game and he got his chance, too.

He iced the game with 11 seconds left when he knocked home two free throws.

"Adam is a lot like Ken," said Sutton. "He wanted the ball at the end."

Liberty's free throws came after Erik Kangas missed a 3-pointer at the other end.

"Adam said he wanted to go to the NCAA Tournament," said Green. "He or Ken were the guys I wanted at the line in that situation."

It wasn't just offense that saved the day for the Golden Eagles.

Kangas had been unreal in the first half. He had a three-minute stretch late in the first half that was remarkable. He hit four 3-pointers in those three minutes.

Those 3s, part of his 20 points and six treys in the half, was the reason Oakland led 45-34 at halftime.

That stretch of 3s took Oakland from a two-point deficit to a six-point lead.

"We were awful defensively but give him some credit, too," said Sutton. "He hit some really difficult shots."

In the end it was Tutt who got the Eagles over the final hurdle and back into the NCAAs.

It was a fitting end. Tutt and Green, who have meant everything in the revival of ORU basketball, put the Eagles where they have never been before -- back-to-back NCAAs.

They did it in the final minute against Oakland, a team that hit a final-shot miracle to beat ORU in the finals two years ago.

It was the biggest disappointment of the last four years, an era of success not seen at the south Tulsa school in nearly 30 years.

"Getting to the (NCAA) tournament last year was sweet because it had been such a long time for our school," said Sutton. "But I think this was even sweeter because of who we beat and how we beat them."

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Online: Read John Klein's blog at www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra.