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Oral Roberts University

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Men's Basketball

ORU Comeback Falls Short in 76-72 Loss to SDSU

Box Score

The Basics
Score: SDSU 76 - ORU 72
Records:
SDSU (15-7, 6-2 SL) - ORU (10-10, 4-3 SL)
Location: Mabee Center - Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. - A pair of 3-pointers from Korey Billbury made it a one-point game with 13 seconds to play, but Oral Roberts couldn't complete the comeback as the Golden Eagles fell 76-72 to South Dakota State Saturday night at the Mabee Center.

Billbury became the 32nd player to score 1,000 career points at ORU and finished the game with 15 points. Obi Emegano led the ORU offense with 19 points. Brandon Conley grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds for ORU, including six offensive rebounds.

Cody Larson scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Jackrabbits. Deondre Parks added 18 points and Jake Bittle scored 13.

Quote of the Game
"That is another tough one. I told the guys in the locker room, it is hard to beat a good team when you shoot like we did from the free throw line, miss easy shots and don't defend. Just like our other two league losses, it was a game that we had chances to win. Teams that win championships find a way to win these games." - Coach Scott Sutton

Turning Point
Korey Billbury had a shot at a third-straight 3-pointer to tie the game with four seconds to go but it rimmed out and SDSU was able to hang on for the victory.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obi Emegano led ORU with 19 points while Korey Billbury added 15. Brandon Conley had a season high 10 rebounds.
South Dakota State: Cody Larson had game-highs with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Deondre Parks scored 18 points and Jake Bittle 13.

Inside the Box Score
- SDSU shot 61 percent (14-23) in the second half and 50 percent (27-54) for the game.
- ORU shot 41 percent (26-63) for the game
- For the fifth time this season, ORU connected on 10 3-point attempts (10-25) including three each from Korey Billbury and Darian Harris.
- ORU was just 10-21 at the free throw line, the first time since going 2-5 against Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 12, 2013) in which the Golden Eagles have been below 50 percent from the line.
- SDSU dominated the paint to a 38-18 advantage inside.
- ORU had its opportunities for easy baskets with 18 offensive rebounds, but held just a 20-18 advantage in second-chance points.
- ORU out-rebounded SDSU 38-37 overall.

News & Notes
- Korey Billbury's 1,00th point in an ORU uniform came with 12:57 to go in the game, giving ORU a 48-47 lead. Billbury became the 32nd player, and the 23rd fastest, to reach the 1,000 point mark at ORU.
- The loss snapped an 11-game home winning streak. Prior to Saturday, ORU's last home loss was almost exactly a year ago, January 25, 2014 to Northwestern State.
- ORU had never lost to South Dakota State at home, entering the game 5-0 against the Jackrabbits inside the Mabee Center.
- Darian Harris made his first career start for ORU as the Golden Eagles used their 10th different starting lineup of the season.
- ORU inducted three into its Hall of Fame on Saturday, including Steve Bontrager (men's basketball), Jessica Kellogg (women's soccer) and Pamela Ontiveros (women's golf). There are now 63 members in the ORU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Up Next
ORU will squeeze a final non-conference contest into the schedule on Tuesday, January 27, as the Golden Eagles host Tabor at 7 p.m. at the Mabee Center.

For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on Twitter or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.

---www.ORUAthletics.com---

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