Box Score | Season Stats | 2020-21 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 54 – North Dakota State 61
Record: ORU (9-8, 6-3 SL) – NDSU (11-8, 9-2 SL)
Location: Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
 
FARGO, N.D. – Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas combined to score 46 points, but it was not enough as the Oral Roberts men's basketball team suffered a 61-54 loss at North Dakota State Friday night from the Scheels Center.
 
Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, ORU rallied to even the score with less than four minutes to play only to have NDSU post 10 of the final 13 points snapping the Golden Eagles' four-game win streak away from home.
 
After Abmas knocked down a triple on the first ORU possession of the night, the Bison took over the game scoring the next 14 points in a 5:16 span and pushed the advantage to 21-6. It was Abmas again from distance that stopped the NDSU momentum as he and Obanor took advantage of back-to-back turnovers by the home side. The pair connected on 3-pointers three times in less than a minute closing the gap to 21-15 on a 9-0 run.
 
NDSU stretched the margin back to double figures, 25-15, before Obanor tallied five-straight points, including his third triple. ORU fought back with the final four points of the first half by Abmas making it a 28-24 deficit at the break holding the Bison scoreless for nearly three minutes. Abmas and Obanor were the only two Golden Eagles to record a point in the opening stanza posting 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Bison made a strong push to begin the second half moving their advantage to 13, 39-26, but ORU had an answer over the next five minutes as Obanor scored the next eight points by himself to cut the margin to five with 12 minutes to play. NDSU continued the back-and-forth affair for a 49-38 lead until the Golden Eagles found their game.
 
Abmas drilled a 3-pointer starting a 13-2 run by ORU that stretched 5:24 down the stretch and helped the visitors turn an 11-point deficit into a tie ballgame, 51-51. RJ Glasper provided two clutch shots closing that burst from behind the arc. NDSU answered with a triple of its own to break the deadlock and sealed the win, 61-54, registering the final five points.
 
Turning Point
Glasper hit a 3-pointer with 3:37 on the clock that pulled ORU back from down 11 points to even at 51. The Bison matched the outside shot on the next possession to erase the Golden Eagles' momentum. Obanor helped the visitors close to the gap to two points on two occasions, but ORU could not get closer in the closing minutes.
 
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Obanor showcased his inside and outside game Friday on his way to 26 points, the 18th time in his Golden Eagles career reaching at least 20 points with seven coming this season.

North Dakota State: Maleeck Harden-Hayes led three Bison in double-figure scoring as he tallied 15 points thanks to a 6-of-8 effort at the charity stripe.

Inside the Box Score
- Obanor registered his eighth double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The Houston, Texas, native hit 10-of-19 shot attempts, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc, and led the team with three assists.
 
- Abmas, the league's leading scorer, ended the contest totaling 20 points playing all 40 minutes on the road and added four rebounds and two assists.
 
- Glasper posted six points and matched his career best of six rebounds, while Carlos Jürgens added the only two bench points.
 
News and Notes
- The Golden Eagles own The Summit League's highest scoring offense, but were held to 24 points in the first half, their second-fewest in an opening half this season since scoring 22 at Oklahoma. It was also the fewest total points in a game since posting 50 points Nov. 6, 2018 at Missouri State.
 
- ORU took advantage of 12 Bison turnovers leading to 21 points off turnovers holding a 21-7 edge in that category Friday.
 
- As a team, the Golden Eagles finished the night just 1-of-2 at the free-throw line, while NDSU attempted 21 and made 14. Obanor shot the only ORU free throws with 1:56 remaining in the game.
                                                          
Up Next
The Golden Eagles close the two-game series against the Bison Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. with live audio available on ORUSN.
 
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.