Eagles in need of defensive fix - TW (1-20-2006)

[ORUTerry]

Eagles in need of defensive fix

By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer

1/20/2006

The Golden Eagles must find a defensive stopper if Oral Roberts is to come out of the freefall it has experienced since conference play started.

Katie Langford inherited the role vacated by Claudia Louis from last year's NCAA Tournament team, but the junior guard was injured at Southern Utah.

The Golden Eagles (8-8, 2-3 Mid-Con) are in the midst of a three-game losing steak.

ORU built a 15-point lead against Indiana-Purdue on Monday only to fall apart in the second half.

Head coach Jerry Finkbeiner held a team meeting after the loss and again on Wednesday.

"I made the comment to the team that night that if we had a Claudia, we wouldn't have lost," Finkbeiner said. "We're missing both Katie and Claudia. Katie has her own style. She will stop the best outside player we play. Claudia would stop anybody we put her on."

Coming into the season, Finkbeiner thought this might be his best team at ORU. But defensive lapses have resulted in struggles all season.

"We're not living up to expectations we had, and that's frustrating," Finkbeiner said. "Since Christmas, we're a no-show. But the good thing is, we are finding out a lot about ourselves. I still think this is a good team. The bottom line, it doesn't mean a hill of beans until the first week of March."

The loss of Langford and Ebony Halliburton, who injured a knee, has forced Finkbeiner to scrap the platoon offense that helped the Golden Eagles lead the conference in scoring.

"If it had to happen, this is a good time," Finkbeiner said of changing the offense. "We have three games in 20 days. If we were ever going to change a game plan, this is the ideal time. But I don't recommend it."

The ORU coach said the team responded at Wednesday's meeting.

"Elisa (Turek) and Leah (Cannon) stepped up verbally," he said. "I gave them a lot of freedom. They got us in the tournament last year, and we'll hang our hat on them again this year."

Good Samaritan:

During the Golden Eagles' last road trip, ORU senior Tiffany Johnson found a purse at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The purse contained $1,500 in cash plus credit cards and other personal items.

Johnson, with the help of the Chicago police, returned the purse to the grateful owner, who offered a reward for finding the missing handbag.

"She offered, but I couldn't take her money," Johnson said. "She got all teary eyed. I just got the feeling that's all she had in the world. It made me feel really good to help. I guess that's just the mentality of the point guard -- making others feel good."