by Oral Roberts Wins Last Regular Season Home Non-Conference Game Before Summit League Opener
By Tyler Jones, @TylerJonesLive
TULSA, OK- For the first time ever, Oral Roberts welcomed NAIA school Haskell Indian Nation University to the Mabee Center on Sunday. This was a unique experience for both teams, as the Native American community of Oklahoma would show up to support. The attendance of 3,184 was not your average numbers for a Sunday afternoon in December at the Mabee Center.
Haskell Indian Nations University made a visit to Tulsa on Sunday to take on NCAA Division One opponent out of the Summit League, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. Haskell would need to expect a miracle to contend with the heavily-favored Golden Eagles at the magnificence Mabee Center.
Sunday’s contest would be the last regular season home conference game for Oral Roberts before they open up their conference home-opener against IUPUI. For Haskell, the game would count as an exhibition. Oral Roberts entered Sunday with a 4-7 record in NCAA Division One, while Haskell came into Tulsa with a 1-12 in NAIA Division Two play.
The game was a homecoming for many Haskell people, as alums from the school gathered to see their team. Haskell alums Terry and Molly Whitetree made the trip to the Mabee Center and said, “We tried to see Haskell every chance we get. We saw them play football at Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee this year and the basketball game at Tulsa last year.”
Also, it was a homecoming for some Haskell players including Guard Stand Lovato, Forward Randy July and Forward Tsalidi Sequoyah. Lovato and July both come from Green Country, as July is a Tulsa native, while Lovato hails from Sapulpa. Sequoyah was also making a return to Northeast Oklahoma, as he spent time at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, before transferring to Haskell.
In the first half, Oral Roberts came out firing with a 15-2 run with 15:32 remaining in the 1st. ORU Guard Obi Emegano scored eight points in the opening five minutes 14 points by halftime. Coach Scott Sutton emphasized a mass substitution scheme and every player saw the floor in the first half.
For Haskell, they generated some offense in the first half, scoring 20 points as a team. Forward Tsalidi Sequoyah led Haskell in scoring with seven total points at the half. Haskell would trail Oral Roberts 43-20 at halftime.
With 20 minutes remaining, Oral Roberts finished what they started. Oral Roberts sized outmatched Haskell and it showed, as Oral Roberts led in rebounding with 58 rebounds in the game. For Oral Roberts, every player not only saw the floor, but nine out of ten players scored points. Obi Emegano was the leading scorer for Oral Roberts with 22 points, while Korey Billbury scored 20 points.
Haskell found ways to score as well. Sequoyah and Lovato led Haskell in scoring with 12 points in their return to the Sooner State. The Indians would fall to Oral Roberts by a final score of 94-42.
While Oral Roberts outmatched Haskell, Coach Scott Sutton still believed it to be a good win for his team. Sutton said, “These games are good. They are good for programs. We need games like this to fill-in our schedule.” When asked if these two teams could possibly meet again, Sutton said, “This was not your average Sunday afternoon crowd. The Native American community came out and supported Haskell.”
Oral Roberts will hit the road next to take on Detroit on Tuesday for their final regular season non-conference game. Haskell will move on to Salina, Kansas to take on Bethany College and Kansas Wesleyan in the Kansas Wesleyan Classic.
