The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 81 - Omaha 78
Records: ORU 15-12 (8-5 SL) - Omaha 9-17 (3-11 SL)
Location: Ralston Arena - Omaha, Neb.

OMAHA, Neb. - The Oral Roberts men's basketball team survived a test on the road, spoiling Omaha's senior night as the Golden Eagles topped the Mavericks 81-78 Thursday night at Ralston Arena.

ORU led by as many as eight in the game, but never more than six in the second half and held off a late charge to earn its third road victory in the last four road games.

It was a total-team effort for ORU as all 11 eligible players saw at least three minutes of action and contributed to the win. Obi Emegano led the offensive effort with 28 points, 20 of which came in the first half. While Emegano's scoring dipped a bit in the second half, Korey Billbury and Denell Henderson more than made up the difference. Billbury scored all 14 of his points after halftime and grabbed 10 rebounds to earn his ninth career double-double, while Henderson scored 11 for the game, seven of which came in the final six minutes of the game.

Devin Patterson had a team-high 23 points for Omaha, leading a cast of four Mavericks who reached double figures.

ORU led the rebounding battle 40-38 and although both teams turned the ball over 14 times, ORU grabbed 10 steals and used it to an 18-13 advantage in points off turnovers.

Quote of the Game
"We tried to give it away, but it was a win and I'm not going to complain about it. We are going to use it for momentum. It was a road win and I'm happy to get out of here with a 'W.' They are a dangerous team. They have some offensive weapons and they showed more athleticism tonight." - Coach Scott Sutton

Turning Point
A free throw by Aaron Young with 1:42 to play gave ORU a six point lead. ORU hit its next four free throws inside the final 12 seconds to hold on for the victory.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obi Emegano had 28 points, while Korey Billbury notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Denell Henderson had three of ORU's six blocks in the game.
Omaha: Devin Patterson scored 23 points, while Tre'Shawn Thurman had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU shot 42 percent (26-62) for the game, and despite going 0-6 in the second half from long range, finished at 50 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc.
- Omaha shot 44 percent (26-59) for the game but just 21 percent (4-19) from 3-point range.
- ORU led the rebounding battle 40-38, including 12 offensive rebounds.
- Omaha defended the rim well, tallying 11 blocks, the second most by an ORU opponent this year.
- With Omaha intentionally fouling to climb back into the game, ORU edged the Mavericks in free throw shooting, going 23-34 from the line, while Omaha shot 22-31.

News & Notes
- Omaha used spurts of 7-0 and 8-0 to go on a 15-4 run and not only take its first lead of the game, but its largest at 5 (22-17) midway through the first half.
- ORU came back and led by as many as eight in the first frame with 3:24 to play after a long 3-pointer by Darian Harris. It was ORU's largest lead of the game.
- Harris' shot was the fourth 3-pointer of the half for ORU who finished the half 4-6 from long range, going a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc after missing its first two 3-point attempts.
- ORU hit a 3-pointer in its 83^rd consecutive game.
- The Golden Eagles also kept their streak alive with a block in the 24^th straight game.
- ORU won just its second game of the season (2-7) when its opponent has more blocks. The Mavericks had 11 blocks, the second most this season behind Memphis' 15 blocks.
- ORU is now a perfect 4-0 all-time against Omaha, including the season sweep this year as Summit League opponents.
- Harris grabbed a career high eight rebounds, topping the seven boards at Denver. Harris also matched his career high with three field goals.

Up Next
ORU finishes its final road trip of the regular season with a trip to Brookings, S.D. to face league-leader South Dakota State. Tip off from Frost Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

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

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