Obanor, Malone spark Oral Roberts off the bench

Jan 6, 2019, 03:14 am

TULSA, Okla. -- Reserves Kevin Obanor, with 19 points, and Kaelen Malone, with 11 assists, sparked Oral Roberts to an 82-63 victory over Western Illinois on Saturday night.

Obanor added six rebounds and Malone had eight points and three steals for the Golden Eagles (7-11, 3-0 Summit League). Emmanuel Nzekwesi finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of steals for ORU. The Golden Eagles made 11 of 23 3-pointers, including 4 of 5 by Francis Lacis, who scored 12 points. He is shooting 57 percent from distance in league games.

Kobe Webster had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Leathernecks (6-10, 1-2) and Isaac Johnson added 15 points off the bench.

After a tight opening eight minutes Oral Roberts went on a 23-0 run to take a 35-11 lead with 7:21 remaining in the first half. The Golden Eagles led 48-26 at halftime and by at least 17 throughout the second half.