MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois came within one midway through the second half, but back-to-back baskets by Robert Jarvis gave Oral Roberts a six-point lead that eventually reached 13 to top the Leathernecks, 64-54, Saturday.

The Leathernecks (6-12, 3-4 The Summit League) kept their deficit at single digits until the 4:37 mark when a pair of free throws gave the Golden Eagles (8-11, 6-1 The Summit League) an 11-point advantage, 57-46. Oral Roberts had only one more field goal in the game, but made 5-of-10 from the free throw line.

The only lead Western had, 8-7, came off a Rodney Williams, Jr., jumper at 15:29. Two-straight Oral Roberts field goals allowed the Golden Eagles a three-point lead. Josh Rivers hit a shot from downtown to tie the game for the final time, 11-11. Each time the Leathernecks hit a three in the first half, the Golden Eagles would follow with a three in their next possession. The final threes of the half were at 5:39 when Ceola Clark brought the score within four, 27-23, which was answered by an immediate Dominique Morrison three. Oral Roberts took a 34-28 halftime lead.

Tommie Tyler and David Nurse co-led the Leathernecks in scoring with 10 points each. Jarvis led the Golden Eagles with 20 points and Marcus Lewis added another 13. Oral Roberts out-rebounded Western, 36-30 with Andre Hardy leading in pulling down the boards with eight. Williams, Jr., led Western with six rebounds.

The Leathernecks return to Summit League action with their next four games on the road, starting at IPFW, January 22, at 7 p.m.

Postgame Quotes
Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari
"Three-point shots in the first half really hurt us. In the second half, we did what we were supposed to do and it got better. We have tremendous kids. From top to bottom, they have a high level of character, they want to learn and want to support each other. They do a good job in the classroom and off the court."

"You can only play the hand that's given to you. We have to continue to work on getting better. It has been tough without David (DuBois). I'm a realist, and I try to teach them every day. We watch every possession of every game and work hard."

"James (Granstra) did a nice job on post defense, Tommie Tyler is becoming more of a warrior for us, both offensively and defensively, Ceola Clark got us off to a good start and Rodney (Williams, Jr.) did a nice job in getting defensive rebounds. I tell our young man that I want good sports, but I don't want good losers. You can almost get comfortable losing to avoid the pain of it, but I think we have to keep going and evaluate."

Postgame Notes
- James Granstra had a career-best eight points against Oral Roberts.
- The Leathernecks faced the Golden Eagles without leading scorer David DuBois, who was out due to injury.
- Before the tipoff, Western Illinois started with a 2-0 lead as Ceola Clark sunk a pair of free throws earned off a pre-game Class B Technical (administrative) foul.