Box Score | Season Stats | 2019-20 Schedule

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 80 - South Dakota 91
Record: ORU (11-9, 4-3 SL) – USD (14-8, 5-3 SL)
Location: Vermillion, S.D. (Sanford Coyote Sports Center)

VERMILLION, S.D. – Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Max Abmas combined to score 51 points as the Oral Roberts men's basketball team suffered a 91-80 loss at South Dakota Saturday afternoon from the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Trailing by as many as nine points in the opening half, ORU battled back to even the score in the early minutes of half number two, but could not overcome the Coyotes snapping a four-game winning streak.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage as Nzekwesi scored six quick points, but the home side turned to the outside shot, as it does best in the league, going on a 7-0 run that spanned nearly four minutes taking a 19-17 advantage.

A Max Abmas triple regained a one-point edge for ORU, 22-21, before the Coyotes connected on back-to-back 3-pointers and pushed the lead up to nine, 37-28, with five minutes in the frame. The Golden Eagles came out of a late timeout and swung momentum in their favor going on an 8-2 run and closed the half on a floater with one second by Deondre Burns cutting the gap to 45-42.

Nzekwesi converted a pair of free throws early in the second stanza pulling ORU even with USD, 52-52, only to have the Coyotes tally the next five points and never let the lead slip dissipate. The Trophy Club, Texas, native continued to provide a bulk of the Golden Eagles offense scoring 13 of their 17 points in the second half keeping the deficit close, 62-59.

ORU got a pair of free throws from Ty Lazenby cutting the margin to one, 62-61, and had a chance to take a lead after a defensive stop, only to see the 3-point try fall off the rim. USD capitalized and out-scored the visitors by a 10-point margin during a five-minute span to move ahead, 78-67, and led by as many as 14 points. The Golden Eagles clawed back to a seven-point game, 85-78, but the Coyotes closed out the home win, 91-80, at the free throw line.

Quote of the Game
"Our inability to guard without fouling stood out. They did a good job of getting to the paint and they ended up with 29 free throws. We just put them on the line too much. It really came down to our inability to stay in front of the ball." – Head Coach Paul Mills

Turning Point
Lazenby hit both ends of a 1-and-1 free throw situation with 11:01 remaining in the second half making it a 62-61 ballgame, but USD used a 16-6 run over the next five minutes to stretch its lead to double figures and eliminate a comeback bid by the Golden Eagles.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Nzekwesi scored 15 of his team-leading 27 points in the second half as he shot 6-of-8 overall in the frame and made all three free throw attempts. It was the fifth time he has scored at least 20 points in a game this season, all of which have come in road games.

South Dakota: Tyler Hagedorn. The Summit League's leading scorer reached his season average of 18 in the first half alone hitting 6-of-10 from the floor and also was called for a technical foul drawing two flop warnings from the officials. He tallied a game-high 31 points for the Coyotes hitting 6-of-8 from distance.

Inside the Box Score
- After Nzekwesi scored six of ORU's first eight points to open the game, the redshirt senior followed the exact same trend in the second half. He finished with 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, eight of which came in the second half.

- Abmas gave the Golden Eagles 17 points in the first half and went on to score 24 points knocking down three of the team's four made 3-pointers.

- Burns put together another double-digit scoring effort recording 10 points, while R.J. Fuqua tallied nine points and Kevin Obanor added six points and six rebounds.

News and Notes
- ORU was a perfect 16-of-16 from the charity stripe; meanwhile, the Coyotes reached the free throw line 29 times and made 25 of those attempts.

- The two teams combined for 42 fouls Saturday, 27 of which came in the second half as both teams reached the bonus before the mid-point of the frame. The Golden Eagles were whistled for 17 in the final frame and a total of 25 personal fouls.

- USD claimed its fifth win over the last six games and moved to 10-1 at home this season, while ORU dropped to 3-9 on the road.

- The Golden Eagles coaching staff took part in the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers initiative Saturday raising awareness and funds for cancer research. The team plans to donate $10 to the American Cancer Society for every defensive stop made in the contest.

Up Next
ORU returns home to the Mabee Center for the first time in nearly three weeks to face The Summit League leading Jackrabbits of South Dakota State Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles play six of their final nine conference games at home.

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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