CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.-Oral Roberts shot 65.5 percent in the second half to overcome a five-point halftime deficit as Austin Peay State University fell, 89-80, in ESPN BracketBuster Saturday Series action, Saturday night in Dave Aaron Arena.

The victory improved Oral Roberts, a member of the Summit League, to 17-12 overall, while the Governors, members of the Ohio Valley Conference, fell to 16-13. The Govs also are now 2-5 in BracketBuster Series contests.

Trailing 36-31 at halftime, Oral Roberts outscored the Governors to 8-1 to open the second half to take a 39-37 lead, with 17:09 left.  APSU would respond with a traditional three-point play by Anthony Campbell to regain a 40-39 advantage with 16:35 remaining. That would be APSU's last advantage.

Oral Roberts and APSU traded buckets but the Golden Eagles began taking more advantage of their inside size and strength, scoring 26 points in the paint in the final half. Standout forward Dominique Morrison would 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half while center Kevin Martin scored 11 second-half points. Meanwhile, forward Michael Craion grabbed seven second-half rebounds as ORU outrebound the Govs 17-9 in the half.

Led by senior Wesley Channels on Senior Night, the Govs remained within striking distance for much of the half, getting as close as three points at the 10:20 mark and 6:23 (63-60) and at 5:39 (65-62). On both occasion Channels provided the points but Warren Niles knocked down a three pointer with 5:23 left and then Ford added a layup to make it an eight-point game with 4:35 left.

That was too much for the Govs to overcome.

Five Governors scored in double figures, led by Channels season-high 25 points. Tyrone Caldwell added 13, Anthony Campbell and John Fraley 11 and Duran Roberson 10. Fraley also grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double while also blocking four shots. 

The Golden Eagles also had five players in double figures as Martin supplemented Morrison with 19 points and Niles 18 while Craion tossed in16 points to go with 12 rebounds. Guard Ken Holdman added 10.

Oral Roberts finished the night shooting 56.1 percent (32 of 57) while the Govs were almost as hot at 50 percent (27 of 54).

-AP-