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The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 60 - Missouri State 69
Record: ORU (5-5) - MSU (6-4)
Location: Springfield, Mo. (JQH Arena)
 
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Max Abmas and DeShang Weaver combined for 34 points in ORU men's basketball's 69-60 loss at Missouri State from JQH Arena Saturday afternoon.
 
ORU led for nearly 12 minutes during the first half and won the rebounding battle, 41-38, but could not hold off the Bears down the stretch.
 
Carlos Jurgens used his speed to blow by a MSU defender getting the Golden Eagles on the board first and a Weaver jumper made it a 7-4 advantage. The Bears got the next four points until an Elijah Lufile dunk before the shot clock expired on a slick feed from Kareem Thompson pushed ORU back in front. Abmas knocked down triples on consecutive possessions as the lead stretched to 15-10 at the mid-point of the first half.
 
A Weaver slam followed by a Trey Phipps fastbreak jumper gave the visitors a 19-13 cushion, but MSU answered back posting a 6-0 burst to even the score until Abmas converted in the paint. The Bears continued the run to the end of the half tallying six of the half's final seven points as ORU trailed 27-25 at the break.
 
The first seven points of the second stanza went to MSU forcing a timeout from the Golden Eagles bench and after another home basket, a Jurgens reverse layup stopped the momentum as he cut the deficit to 36-27. It was a 15-1 run spanning more than seven minutes dating back to the opening frame for the Bears, but ORU found a way to chip away and closed the gap to three, 38-35. The defense held MSU scoreless for more than four minutes during an 8-0 run thanks to back-to-back jumpers from Weaver.
 
Francis Lacis skied for an offensive rebound and scored on the put-back pulling ORU within one, 40-39, and a Thompson layup kept it a one-point game, 42-41. The Bears posted five-straight points from there and stretched the lead to nine with 2:31 to play before ending the game, 69-60, by making 10-of-12 free throws in the final minute.
 
Turning Point
MSU turned a two-point, halftime advantage into a double-digit lead, 36-25, behind a 9-0 run to open the second half. Despite cutting the margin to one on two occasions, the Golden Eagles would not get any closer the rest of the way.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas led the offense totaling 19 points, including six in the final minute, and closed the day shooting 7-of-18 overall.

Missouri State: Isiaih Mosley took over for the Bears hitting 10-of-20 from the floor to lead all scorers with 25 points. He added eight rebounds and three assists.

Inside the Box Score
- Weaver came on strong in the second half registering nine of his 15 points during the frame. He shot 7-of-11 from the floor and tallied six rebounds overall.
 
- Abmas finished with 19 points hitting five of the team's seven 3-pointers in the contest and also had three rebounds.
 
- Thompson reached double-digit rebounds for the first time in his ORU career grabbing a game-high 12 and added seven points, all of which came in the second half, and two blocks.
 
News and Notes
- ORU ended the afternoon recording a season-low five assists on 25 made baskets and turned the ball over 16 times.
 
- The Golden Eagles defense held the Bears to just 19 percent from 3-point range (4-of-21).
 
- ORU failed to reach double figures from distance for just the second time this year making 7-of-26 from long range.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return home for their final non-conference contest of the season hosting UT Arlington Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. live on the ORU Sports Network.

For the latest information on ORU Men's Basketball, follow the Golden Eagles on Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.