Press Release & Box Score

[orumom]

TULSA, Okla. - Top-ranked Oral Roberts earned its second-straight berth into the Mid-Continent Conference Championship game with a 77-58 victory over #4 Valparaiso in the semifinals of the 2006 Toshiba Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Championship being held at John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC in Tulsa, Okla. The Golden Eagles will play the winner of the #2 IUPUI/#6 Chicago State match-up on Tuesday, March 7 at 6 p.m., with a bid into the NCAA Tournament on the line. The title game can be seen on ESPN with Ron Franklin and Fran Fraschilla calling the action.

Valparaiso started the game on a 7-0 run, which included baskets by Mohamed Kone, Ron Howard and a three-pointer by Jimmie Miles. However, Oral Roberts rallied back and took a 15-10 lead with 13:42 remaining in the half. ORU, which would never trail again, continued to roll with a pair of buckets by Caleb Green and a three-pointer and a lay-up by Jonathan Bluitt for a 9-0 run in the middle of the half and entered the locker room with a 35-30 lead. The Golden Eagles kept the pressure on and led by double figures for most of the second period before posting the final 19-point margin.

Green had a game-best 23 points thanks to an 11-for-16 shooting effort. He also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists. Larry Owens also turned in a solid performance for ORU with 18 points, six points, two blocks and two steals, while Bluitt accounted for 17 points and four assists in the win. Dan Oppland and Kone shared team scoring honors with 18 points apiece. Oppland also grabbed five caroms, while Kone notched his seventh double-double of the year with a game-best 12 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles reached the 20-win plateau for the second year in a row with a 20-11 overall mark. Valpo's season closes with a 17-12 mark overall and an 8-8 effort in league play.

http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/doc_lib/ ... 0Score.pdf