Posted on: Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Unbeaten Oral Roberts rolls past Georgetown
| • | Hawai'i wins opener |
| • | Ferd Lewis: 'Bows need to get back in groove |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Oral Roberts showed why it is still one of the nation's undefeated teams with an 81-63 victory over Georgetown last night in the opening game of the 41st annual Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Golden Eagles improved to 8-0, the best start in their history, and advanced to tomorrow's semifinals of the tournament against host Hawai'i.
"This is the best team we've played so far, and this is the best we've played," ORU head coach Scott Sutton said of Georgetown. "We were 7-0 and had some good games, but to be honest, we were struggling a little bit. We put a complete game together tonight."
Caleb Green and Luke Spencer-Gardner combined to score 51 points to lead the Golden Eagles. Green, a 6-foot-7 forward, shot 9 of 12 from the field, and also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
"I don't think we're justified yet," Green said. "We still have a long way to go. That was a fun game, though. A good win for our program. We came into this tournament knowing we could play with a lot of teams. We wanted to come out and show that we could be among the nation's best."
Spencer-Gardner, a 6-1 guard, added 25 points, including 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.
The Hoyas, who dropped to 4-3, entered the game among the nation's leaders in defense, allowing just 54.5 points per game. The 81 points was the most they have surrendered this season.
Green shot 7 of 7 from the field and had 20 points in the first half. He scored five during a 10-3 surge early in the game to give the Golden Eagles a 19-10 lead they would not lose the rest of the way.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
