Box Score | Season Stats | 2019-20 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 76 - North Dakota State 83
Record: ORU (12-12, 5-6 SL) – NDSU (18-7, 9-2 SL)
Location: Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
FARGO, N.D. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team got a combined 46 points from Deondre Burns and Kevin Obanor in an 83-76 loss on the road at North Dakota State Saturday afternoon from Scheels Center.
The Golden Eagles could not overcome a 22-1 run by The Summit League-leading Bison in the first half after getting out to a hot start dropping their third-straight road game in conference play.
For the second-straight half dating back to Thursday night, it was the Burns show as he took over command of the ORU offense scoring at will against the Bison. The senior posted 17 of the Golden Eagles' first 29 points helping the visitors take a 29-20 lead on the road at the 9:01 mark.
After Obanor added a free throw giving ORU a 30-20 advantage, the rest of the half belonged to NDSU as it tallied the next 16 points and extended its margin to 42-31 on a 22-1 stretch covering more than six minutes. The deficit swelled as high as 14 points before Burns struck again before intermission making it a 47-35 game at halftime.
In the second half, NDSU pushed its lead to 15 points, the largest of the afternoon, and held a 63-49 edge, before the Golden Eagles found a way to get to the free throw line. ORU forced the Bison into foul trouble and capitalized by converting 12 of their first 18 points of the second half at the charity stripe.
Utilizing an 8-1 run, the Golden Eagles cut the margin down to seven, 64-57, and used another 8-0 run in a three-minute stretch to get within five on a Max Abmas 3-pointer, 70-65, with 3:23 to play. NDSU responded by putting together a 5-0 push moving back in front by double digits before closing out the game, 83-76, connecting on its final 13 free throw attempts.
Quote of the Game
"They're a resilient group, we've seen that all year. I love those guys, they battle, they fight, but unfortunately sometimes it takes us getting down before we'll really fight. We were able to battle back, but we have to find a way to get three possessions better, and it has to happen on the defensive end." – Head Coach Paul Mills
Turning Point
Holding a 10-point lead, a disastrous stretch of 6:10 for the visitors late in the first half saw the game slip away as the Bison recorded a 22-1 run. A three-point play started the push for NDSU and the home team made 8-of-12 shot attempts during the momentum-swinging effort turning the deficit into an 11-point advantage.
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Burns scored 60 percent of the Golden Eagles points in the opening half putting up 21 on 9-of-11 shooting and closed the afternoon leading the team with 26 points.
North Dakota State: Vinnie Shahid knocked down 6-of-7 3-pointers in the first frame on his way to a 31-point performance as one of five Bison players to post double-digit points. The senior was a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line in the second half.
Inside the Box Score
- Burns registered 20 or more points for the third-straight game and led the Golden Eagles in scoring for the 10th time this season finishing with 26 points. The senior played all but 38 seconds of the 40-minute road test.
- Obanor gave ORU 20 points, 16 of which came in the second stanza, as he made 5-of-7 shot attempts in the half. The Houston, Texas, native totaled a game-high eight rebounds pulling down five on the offensive end.
- Abmas chipped in 17 points hitting 3-of-4 from long range as all of his makes from distance came in the final four minutes of the contest. The freshman matched his season best adding five rebounds, behind only Obanor for the team lead.
- Sam Kearns was able to get to the free throw line in the second half putting up all six of his points at the foul line to lead the bench scorers.
- The Golden Eagles played without leading scorer and rebounder Emmanuel Nzekwesi, who averages a double-double per game, due to a knee injury.
News and Notes
- The Golden Eagles had two players reach 20 or more points in the same game for the fourth time this season as Burns (26) and Obanor (20) each hit the mark Saturday.
- ORU hit 16-of-19 (84 percent) from the free throw line in the second half and made 24-of-29 in the contest (83 percent). The 24 makes tied the team's highest effort of the season, also reaching 24 against Chicago State, while it was the sixth time scoring at least 20 free throws in a contest. The Bison shot 84 percent (21-of-25) at the charity stripe converting their final 13 in the last seven minutes.
- The Golden Eagles entered the game as The Summit League rebounding leaders, but were held under 30 total rebounds in a single game for the second time this year grabbing a season-low 27.
- ORU tallied only seven assists during the game, its second-lowest output of the season, as Burns was the only player with multiple assists.
Up Next
ORU returns home for its next two Summit League games as the stretch run continues against Omaha Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Mabee Center.
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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