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The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 76 – South Dakota State 82
Record: ORU (7-6, 1-1) - SDSU (11-2, 2-0)
Location: Brookings, S.D. (Frost Arena)
 
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team fell, 82-76, despite having three double-digit scorers Wednesday evening at South Dakota State.
 
ORU moves to 1-1 in the early Summit League season after Wednesday's game at South Dakota State. Max Abmas, Trey Phipps and Kareem Thompson had double-digit points on the night. Abmas and Thompson led the team with 19 apiece and Phipps had 10. Abmas went 7-for-15 in 40 minutes of play and recorded the team's lone free-throw on a four-point play.
 
South Dakota State started the game with a 5-0 run. The Golden Eagles answered with a 10-2 run and led by as much as three in the first half 20 minutes. The Golden Eagle defense held SDSU to just 16 points in the paint in the first half, but the Jackrabbits shot 50 percent overall. Kareem Thompson led ORU with nine points going 4-for-6 in the first 20 minutes. The Jacks led by as much as 11, but ORU cut it to nine at the break, 38-29.
 
After a made ORU three-pointer, SDSU went on a 7-0 run to open the second half. The Jackrabbits went up by 13 before a Max Abmas three-point make. Carlos Jurgens then cut the deficit to eight with 15 minutes to play. The Golden Eagles made it a six point game before Issac McBride hit a three. Abmas followed with a three-point bucket. He was fouled on the play and connected on the and-one opportunity to give ORU its first lead of the game since early in the first. SDSU clawed back and with five minutes to play, the Jacks led by five. ORU trailed by four with two minutes to play and down the stretch, SDSU went on a 12-3 run.  Abmas nailed a three-point jumper at the buzzer and the Jacks closed out the game winning 82-76.
 
ORU out-scored South Dakota State, 47-44, in the second half. The Jackrabbits had two 20-point scorers with Baylor Scheierman capturing 20 and Douglas Wilson scoring 21. The duo led South Dakota State to 52.6 percent from the field and recorded half of the team's 82 points. The Golden Eagles made more shots overall (31) and three-pointers (13) in Wednesday's game. ORU out-rebounded SDSU, 38-33, with 14 being on the offensive glass. The Jackrabbits went 16-for-20 from the charity stripe.
 
Turning Point
ORU trailed by as much as 13 in the game. The Golden Eagles changed the momentum when McBride hit a three-point bucket followed by another triple by Abmas. Abmas earned a free-throw and gave ORU a one point lead with 9:34 to play.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas and Thompson each had 19 points on the night and Francis Lacis led ORU in rebounding with nine.

South Dakota State: Douglas Wilson scored 21 points and Alex Arians grabbed eight rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles scored 36 points in the paint. ORU's bench production secured 24 points.
 
- ORU went 42.5 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- South Dakota State shot 50-plus percent overall and from long range. The Jackrabbits went 80 percent from the free-throw after 20 attempts.
 
- The Golden Eagles went 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.
 
News and Notes
- For his ninth consecutive game, Abmas had 10-plus points.
 
- ORU has made 10-plus three-point buckets in 11 of its last 13 games.

Up Next
ORU will return to the Mabee Center to host the Denver Pioneers Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. for Family Night.

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.