Box Score | Season Stats | 2019-20 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Missouri State 72 - Oral Roberts 82
Record: MSU (6-7) – ORU (7-5)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
TULSA, Okla. – A dominant, second-half effort led the Oral Roberts men's basketball team to an 82-72 victory over Missouri State at the Mabee Center Saturday afternoon.
Four players scored in double figures for a depleted Golden Eagles roster and turned a four-point halftime deficit into their fourth-straight win out-scoring the Bears, 51-37, in the second half. Kevin Obanor and Emmanuel Nzekwesi each finished with a double-double helping the home side to a 41-28 advantage in total rebounds against a team 18th in the NCAA in rebounding margin at +8.5.
After the Bears hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring, the Golden Eagles responded with the game's next six points as the two teams went back-and-forth trading the lead four times in the opening frame. MSU led by as many as six points, 16-10, while ORU held a 28-24 edge in the final five minutes. The Bears closed the half on an 11-3 run taking a 35-31 advantage into intermission.
ORU quickly erased the four-point deficit thanks to the hot touch of Max Abmas from long range as the freshman scored 11-straight points for the Golden Eagles during an 11-3 run that turned the momentum. Abmas connected on a 3-pointer closing the MSU margin to one, 40-39, and hit his next three shots giving ORU a 47-43 lead as the team hit 6-of-8 shots in the stanza's first four minutes.
MSU recovered to score the next six points before Obanor converted an old-fashioned, 3-point play putting the Golden Eagles in front, 50-49, and the squad did not allow the visitors any breathing room the rest of the way. A 12-3 run spanning nearly six minutes pushed ORU in front by double figures, 68-58, sealing the squad's perfect non-conference record inside the Mabee Center.
Quote of the Game
"The opening four minutes of the second half was just a 3-point contest, but we found more urgency to get to the ball and we upgraded some of their shooters. Then after the 16 minute mark, I'm not sure they hit another three." – Head Coach Paul Mills
Turning Point
Missouri State was able to cut the ORU lead down to one, 56-55, with 10:41 remaining in regulation keeping within striking distance on the road. The Golden Eagles took control over the next six minutes limiting the Bears to three points on 1-of-9 shooting opening a 10-point cushion that was too much for the visitors to overcome.
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obanor tallied his third double-double of the campaign as the redshirt sophomore was a force inside the paint. He posted 19 points, including a 10-of-13 performance at the free throw line by drawing nine fouls. He completed the double-double registering a game-high 12 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end of the floor.
Missouri State: Lamont West scored a team-high 14 points leading five Bears in double-figure scoring as he shot 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
Inside the Box Score
- Abmas led the Golden Eagles with 22 points, 20 of which came in the final 20 minutes, as he knocked down 7-of-8 shots in the second half. It was the third time this year the freshman has scored at least 20 points in a contest.
- Nzekwesi posted his second-straight double-double and third of the season totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds. The redshirt senior recorded 10 of his rebounds in the second half alone. He also moved into the top 20 of ORU's career scoring list and is 19th with 1,197 points.
- Obanor grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds to go with his 19 points for his third double-double this season and 10th of his career for the navy and gold.
- Deondre Burns was a catalyst for the offense totaling 19 points of 7-of-15 shooting and was perfect at the foul line making all five free throws. The senior led ORU with four assists, while playing 37:20 of the 40-minute game.
- The Golden Eagles made at least 20 free throws for third-consecutive outing finishing 22-of-26 at the free throw line for a season-high 85 percent.
News and Notes
- ORU won for the fourth-straight time at home against Missouri State and evened its record in the all-time series at 9-9.
- Saturday was the first time ORU had two players register a double-double in the same game since a road test at Western Illinois Feb. 23, 2019. That night it was the same duo of Obanor and Nzekwesi to reach the feat.
- The Golden Eagles have not dropped a home game since February 2, 2019, having won eight in a row dating back to last season, including a perfect 6-0 mark during the 2019-20 campaign.
- ORU guaranteed itself a winning record during non-conference play for the first time under the guidance of Head Coach Paul Mills.
Up Next
ORU takes a short break for the holidays before returning to action heading to Provo, Utah, to take on the Cougars of BYU Saturday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. (CT).
For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on Twitter or Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics Front Row App at ORUAthletics.com/frontrow or the ORU Golden Eagles Live App in iTunes or the Google Play Store. For tickets, visit mabeecenter.com or call 495-7ORU (7678).
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