Box Score | Season Stats | 2021-22 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 83 – Denver 66
Record: ORU (8-6, 2-1) - DU (5-11, 1-2)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
 
TULSA, Okla. – Four Golden Eagles scored in double-digits as The Oral Roberts men's basketball team defeated Denver, 83-66, to close out 2021 Thursday evening at the Mabee Center.
 
The Golden Eagles improved to 2-1 in Summit League play behind Max Abmas' 24 point outing. Abmas went 9-for-16 from the field for his seventh 20-plus point game of the season. Issac McBride and DeShang Weaver each recorded 15 points on the night and Trey Phipps had 11. For Phipps, it was his fourth-consecutive double-digit outing and seventh of the season.
 
ORU got out to an early lead Thursday going up by 10 with 14 minutes left in the first half. Down the stretch, the Golden Eagles went up by as much as 18, but closed out the first 20 minutes with a 43-27 advantage behind 12 points from Abmas. Overall, ORU went 50 percent from the field in the first.
 
After going up by 19 early in the second, Denver started to cut into the ORU lead. The Pioneers went on an 11-2 run that they extended to 22-5 to make it a two point game with 11:31 to play. Phipps then hit a three-point jumper to extend the lead back to five. Denver would eventually tie the game with 10:16 left. Despite making a comeback, Denver would never lead in Thursday's contest. In the final 10 minutes, the Golden Eagles sparked a 15-2 run to take a 17 point lead with 1:04 remaining. ORU would then close out the game with an 83-66 advantage.
 
ORU out-scored Denver in both halves and led the points in the paint category, 38-32. The Pioneers had four starters score double-digits with Tevin Smith leading with 17 points. Smith went 6-for-10 overall on the night. After shooting 31 percent in the first half, Denver shot 47 percent from the field in the second and knocked down six three-pointers. The Golden Eagles led on the boards tonight with 37 and Kareem Thompson led with nine. It was the sixth time this season Thompson has led the team in the rebounding category.
 
Turning Point
After Denver made it a one point game, Phipps sunk a pull up three-pointer with 8:21 to gain momentum in ORU's 15-2 second half run.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas had 24 points on the night and Thompson grabbed nine rebounds.

Denver: Smith scored 17 points and Touko Tainamo captured nine rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles scored 38 points in the paint. ORU's bench production secured 31 points and held Denver to five.
 
- ORU went 49.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- Denver shot 39.1 percent overall and 30.4 percent from long range. The Pioneers went 75 percent from the free-throw after 12 attempts.
 
News and Notes
- For his 10th consecutive game, Abmas had 10-plus points.
 
- ORU has made 10-plus three-point buckets in 12 of its last 14 games.
 
- The Golden Eagles tied their season high in blocks with eight on the night.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will ring in the New Year Saturday, Jan. 1 against the Omaha Mavericks at the Mabee Center at 7 p.m.

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.