TU pops ORU, retains Cup - Tulsa World (12-11-05)

[ORUTerry]

TU pops ORU, retains Cup

By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer

12/11/2005

Jillian Robbins doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

The junior forward recorded her fourth consecutive double-double and fifth of the season with 25 points and 21 rebounds to lead Tulsa to an 88-73 win over Oral Roberts.

Along with the win, the Golden Hurricane (6-1) won the Mayor's Cup trophy for the third consecutive year.

"This is a very strong rivalry," senior guard Megan Moody said. "We've kept the trophy now for three years and four of the last five. We're happy with the win."

Tulsa outrebounded ORU 63-29 and Robbins became the school's all-time leading rebounder with 656 career boards, besting Mary Keenan's record of 645 from 1980-84.

"I'm very happy to have the career record," Robbins said. "Rebounding is a part of the game I enjoy and I take a lot of pride in it. I know rebounding has a big impact on whether we win or lose and I want to do everything I can to help us succeed."

ORU's press caused problems early for Tulsa, which trailed by as many as nine points in the first half.

"I knew what we would be faced with," TU coach Charlene Thomas-Swinson said of ORU. "They (have) a very good pressure defense and it rattled us early on. We were playing on our heels. I was happy we

found a way to stay in the game during that process."

The Hurricane was 0-for-6 from 3-point range but stayed close thanks to 12-of-18 free-throw shooting. ORU was 5-of-21 from beyond the arc and 5-of-7 from the line.

Dana Idlet's jumper at the end of the first half tied the game at 36.

"We weren't playing our game," Robbins said. "We were letting them dictate the tempo. Even though we weren't scoring in the first half, we had established a presence. We had a lot of wide-open shots."

TU opened the second half with a 15-4 run and finished with a balanced scoring attack that included double-digit scoring from all five starters. Megan Moody also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tandem Mays poured in 16 points, six rebounds and five assists while Emily Jaskowiak and Kara Pongonis-Paslay finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

"We played as a team and we got it done as a team," Moody said. "Jillian, Emily and TaTa (Wagoner) were doing their job down low and when they started to double them, we started to hit which opened things up again inside."

ORU coach Jerry Finkbeiner pointed to the discrepancy in rebounds as the difference.

"That was the biggest thing," he said. "I have a newfound respect for the TU girls. They are a lot better live than in a scouting report."

ORU (4-3) got 19 points from Elisha Turek and 10 from freshman Jenny Hardin, who played just nine minutes due to foul trouble.

Tulsa 88, Oral Roberts 73