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The Basics
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Sweet 16
Score: No. 15 Oral Roberts 70 - No. 3 Arkansas 72
Record: ORU (18-11) - UA (25-6)
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. (Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Oral Roberts' bid to become the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight came up inches short as No. 3 Arkansas outlasted the Golden Eagles 72-70 in one of the best games of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night from inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Razorbacks made a jumper with 3.1 seconds to play to go up two and after a Golden Eagles' timeout, Max Abmas raced up the court and got off a clean look at a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but it was just off the mark ending a historic run by ORU in the Sweet 16 letting a 12-point lead slip away in the second half.

After falling behind by four, Kevin Obanor converted an and-1 with 1:48 to play to put ORU back on top at 69-68, but Arkansas once again had an answer. A jumper with 1:34 to play had the Razorbacks back in the lead, 70-69. After the teams trade empty possessions, Obanor had a decent look from beyond the arc in the final minute, but it was off the mark. Fortunately, Francis Lacis grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back attempt. He made 1-of-2 from the stripe to square the game at 70-70 as he attempted his first free throws since Feb. 6.

The first half belonged to the Golden Eagles as they built an early 15-7 lead on the strength of five 3-pointers by four different players. The Razorbacks responded with a 12-2 run to gain a 19-17 advantage, but ORU had its own response spearheaded by Abmas and Carlos Jürgens. Those two helped the upset-minded lower seed take a 35-28 advantage at the break.

ORU would take its largest lead of the game, 46-34, when Kareem Thompson made a jumper with 15:26 to play. The Razorbacks called timeout and regrouped, much like they did in the first half after falling behind by eight early in the stanza. This time, the Hogs reeled off an 11-2 run to get back within single digits.

Arkansas would eventually come all the way back, tying things up at 58-58 thanks to an 8-1 run that saw the final two baskets of that stretch come on second-chance opportunities. That was the story of the second half as Arkansas held an 18-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
 
Turning Point
After using most of the second half to erase what had grown to a 12-point deficit, Arkansas finally took its first lead at 62-60 with 4:54 to play. From there, neither team led by more than four points and it was Davis' decisive field goal with 3.1 seconds to play that turned the game in the Razorbacks' favor.
 
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas led four Golden Eagles starters in double figures with 25 points as he eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the 20th time this season and third in as many games on the national stage. He also earned a spot on the NCAA Tournament All-South Region Team for his efforts.

Arkansas: Jalen Tate led a quartet of Razorback starters in double figures with 22 points. Ten of those came in the final six minutes, including a go-ahead basket with 1:34 to play

Inside the Box Score
- Jürgens, who had just five double-figure scoring games coming into the Sweet 16, had 11 first-half points against the Razorbacks and finished with 13 points.

- ORU limited Arkansas to just 27 first-half points, which was the Razorbacks' second lowest output of the opening 20 minutes of a game this season.

- Obanor finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds to record his 15th double-double of the season and third in three NCAA Tournament games.

- Lacis equaled his season-high with 11 points connecting on 4-of-6 overall and 2-of-4 from distance.

- After making six first-half 3-pointers, ORU went just 2-for-14 in the second half to finish 8-for-31 in the contest.
 
News and Notes
- The two-point loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Golden Eagles, who had won their last four postseason games by three points or less.
 
- Arkansas trailed by 12 points in the second half of both of its victories over ORU this season, the Razorbacks won the first meeting 87-76 in Fayetteville on Dec. 20.
 
- ORU is now (4-6) all-time in NCAA Tournament games and made its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1974. The Golden Eagles were just the third Summit League team to reach the regional semifinals and would have been the first league team to make the Elite Eight.
 
Up Next
The Golden Eagles concluded their season with an 18-11 record, which marks the program's most victories since the 2014-15 team went 19-15.
 
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.