Anchorage, AK (Sports Network) - Warren Niles erupted for a game-high 33 points as he led the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles to a 75-66 win over the Lions of Loyola Marymount in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout at the Sullivan Arena.

Niles connected on 5-of-6 shots behind the three-point line and 11-of-15 from the floor overall for Oral Roberts (3-1) as the team picked up a third straight victory. Shawn Glover added 11 points, Steven Roundtree 10 and Damen Bell-Holter eight points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Lions (2-2) were paced by Anthony Ireland who tallied 30 points, converting 11-of-21 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 on the perimeter. Ashley Hamilton responded with 15 points and Ayodeji Egbeyemi tacked on 10 points in the losing cause.

LMU moved out to an early five-point lead less than two minutes into the contest, but the squad ended up shooting only 3-of-10 beyond the arc in the frame and that pushed them to a three-point deficit at the break, 30-27.

In the second half Oral Roberts exploded for 64.0 percent accuracy from the field, allowing the Golden Eagles to extend their lead to 18 points at the 7:25 mark, before holding on for the nine-point decision.

ORU overcame 19 turnovers by hitting on 7-of-13 shots behind the three-point line, while the Lions were only 6-of-19 from the outside.

With the victory, Oral Roberts will now take on the winner of the Texas State/Charlotte affair in the semifinals on Friday.

GAME NOTES:

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