Box Score | Season Stats | 2019-20 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 67 - Omaha 74
Record: ORU (7-8, 0-2 SL) – UNO (9-8, 2-0 SL)
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Baxter Arena)
OMAHA, Neb. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team were unable to make an eight-point halftime advantage stand falling on the road at Omaha, 74-67, Saturday night inside Baxter Arena.
Thanks to a 17-0 run late in the first half, ORU built an eight-point cushion at the break, but could not hold off a comeback bid by Omaha scoring just 26 points over the final 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagles made four-consecutive free throws in the early minutes to even the score, 12-12, until the Mavericks scored the next five points. ORU punched right back and claimed a three-point advantage, 20-17, going on an 8-0 push highlighted by a Kevin Obanor layup following an offensive rebound and a triple from Francis Lacis.
Omaha fought back and broke a tie scoring six-straight points on its way to a 30-24 edge with 5:11 remaining in the opening half. The rest of the frame was all Golden Eagles as the visitors turned the tide dominating play over a 4:41 stretch scoring a 17-0 run for a 41-30 lead. It was six offensive rebounds during the sequence that helped give ORU an eight-point advantage at halftime.
The Mavericks took advantage of the break posting an 8-3 run to climb back into the contest, 44-41, out of halftime. Obanor knocked down another from long range as the Golden Eagles regained a seven-point lead until Omaha locked down defensively.
ORU's offensive was limited to just five points over a span of 7:15 as Omaha built its largest lead of the night, 66-59. The Golden Eagles did not go away quietly as Emmanuel Nzekwesi's second-chance layup brought the squad within one on a 6-0 spurt and Obanor's free throws again cut the deficit to one, 68-67, with 2:43 remaining. The Mavericks held ORU scoreless over the final minutes to seal the league win.
Quote of the Game
"As I told the guys we have to figure this out together; how do we get better. You can dominate the glass, but anytime you give the other team extra possessions, you make it tough on yourself. We made it tough on ourselves the last few minutes of the game." – Head Coach Paul Mills
Turning Point
Obanor put ORU in front, 52-45, with his second 3-pointer during a stretch where he scored eight-straight points for the visitors. Omaha cut the margin down to one over the next three minutes and took the lead for good as the clock read 8:48 in the second half during a 16-5 push.
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obanor used a perfect night (8-of-8) at the free throw line to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring with 18 points, while he added 10 rebounds matching a game high.
Omaha: Wanjang Tut paced four Mavericks in double figures scoring a season-high 17 points shooting 80 percent from the floor.
Inside the Box Score
- Obanor finished the night with five offensive rebounds on his way to his fifth double-double of the campaign behind 18 points and 10 rebounds.
- Nzekwesi turned in his fourth-straight double-double and fifth in the redshirt senior's last six outings tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also matched his career best totaling three steals.
- Lufile nearly completed a double-double as he recorded nine points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes on the court. Sam Kearns and Max Abmas each chipped in eight points.
- Burns posted a team-leading five assists, the sixth time the senior has at least five assists for ORU this year.
- Entering the game ranked ninth in the NCAA averaging 14.2 offensive rebounds per contest, the Golden Eagles pulled down 19 in the game, including 14 in the first half alone. It was the most offensive rebounds in a road game and third-most in any contest this season.
News and Notes
- The Golden Eagles were a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the opening half, but went 6-of-11 in the final frame to hold a 16-7 advantage over the Mavericks in the game.
- ORU forced Omaha into 10 turnovers in the first half, while committing seven of its own, but that turned dramatically in the second half as the Golden Eagles had seven turnovers and the Mavericks registered only one.
- Omaha extended its home winning streak to 14 games dating back to 2018 when it last lost to the Golden Eagles at Baxter Arena, 87-84, Dec. 30 in The Summit League opener a season ago.
Up Next
ORU returns home for its first league test at the Mabee Center Jan. 9 hosting defending Summit League tournament champions North Dakota State for a 7 p.m. tip.
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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