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The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 85 - Houston Baptist 67
Record: ORU (5-4) - HBU (2-5)
Location: Houston, Texas (Sharp Gymnasium)
 
HOUSTON – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team ran away from Houston Baptist in an 85-67 road win Saturday night inside Sharp Gymnasium.
 
ORU led by as many as 24 points in the second half and got double-digit scoring from four different players to pick up its first win away from home this season.
 
The Golden Eagles missed their first four shots of the contest, all from 3-point range, as the Huskies opened an 8-0 lead that forced a timeout from the visitors. Kareem Thompson finally broke the run hitting a triple from the left wing and Elijah Lufile added two free throws and a put-back closing the gap to 8-7. HBU pushed the margin back to five before Trey Phipps connected on a 3-pointer and Max Abmas followed suit hitting from deep giving ORU a 13-12 advantage as it held the home side scoreless for more than three minutes.
 
The lead traded sides six times over the next six minutes until a Weaver layup capped a 7-0 run that broke a 22-22 tie giving the Golden Eagles a 29-22 cushion with 2:06 remaining in the half. After HBU cut the deficit to two, 29-27, Weaver drilled a 3-pointer and Abmas got a tough, fade-away jumper to fall in the final seconds sending ORU into the locker room holding a 34-27 edge.
 
Playing in his hometown, Weaver added a jumper for the first points of the second half and Abmas connected on another long ball as the Golden Eagles stretched their lead to 39-27. After Carlos Jurgens skied to the rim for a two-handed slam, Thompson dropped in his third 3-pointer and Weaver scored in the paint as the margin swelled to 17. Lacis converted from distance giving ORU a 20-point advantage, 51-31.
 
With family and friends filling most of the arena, Sir Issac Herron entered the game to a rousing ovation and quickly grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the put-back as the lead moved to 58-35. HBU made a mini run to make it a 14-point lead for the Golden Eagles, but Lufile hammered a dunk starting a 6-0 stretch and the rout continued. A 10-2 burst ending with a Issac McBride 3-pointer helped ORU to its largest lead, 82-58, and the visitors closed out the road win, 85-67.
 
Turning Point
ORU scored the final five points of the opening stanza turning a two-point lead into seven at the break and promptly tallied five-straight starting the second half for a commanding, 39-27 advantage.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Lufile put together a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in just 20 minutes on the court.

Houston Baptist: Darius Lee paced the Huskies with 21 points and 10 rebounds playing 39 of the 40 possible minutes.

Inside the Box Score
- Lufile went 5-of-6 from the floor totaling 13 points on the way to his first double-double of the season and third of his career.
 
- Abmas finished with 18 points connecting on 4-of-8 from 3-point range and also led ORU behind four assists and three steals.
 
- Phipps registered 14 points off the bench thanks to a perfect 4-of-4 effort at the free throw line, while Weaver shot 5-of-7 overall tallying 12 points.
 
- Thompson made 3-of-5 of his 3-point attempts totaling nine points and McBride chipped in eight points. Lacis recorded six rebounds and two steals.

News and Notes
- ORU got at least eight points from six different players, including four in double digits, to remain undefeated when facing HBU in program history winning all four meetings.
 
- The Golden Eagles offense dominated the second half making 6-of-11 from downtown to finish 12-of-28 overall.
 
- ORU won the battle of the benches combining to score 41 points off the bench compared to just nine from the Huskies.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles are back in action Dec. 11 on the road at Missouri State in a battle of mid-major powers. Catch the game with live audio on the ORU Sports Network and video on ESPN3 at 3 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.