Box Score | Post-Game Press Conference | Season Stats | 2020-21 Schedule
The Basics
Score: No. 5 North Dakota 65 - No. 4 Oral Roberts 76
Record: UND (9-17, 8-8 SL) - ORU (14-10, 10-5 SL)
Location: Sioux Falls, S.D. (Sanford Pentagon)
 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 4-seed Oral Roberts men's basketball team got a combined 40 points from Max Abmas (22) and DeShang Weaver (18) Sunday evening taking down No. 5 North Dakota 76-65 in The Summit League Quarterfinals inside Sanford Pentagon.
 
The Golden Eagles were not at their best behind the 3-point line, but did the little things necessary to win by converting 19-of-21 free throws and forcing UND into 14 turnovers.
 
ORU came out with stifling defense forcing the Fighting Hawks into four turnovers and a 0-of-4 shooting start, while jumping to a 6-0 advantage in the first four minutes. UND responded with an 8-0 run that gave it an 11-8 edge before Max Abmas and Kareem Thompson scored on back-to-back possessions as the Golden Eagles regained a one-point cushion.
 
Thompson hit a corner triple and ORU extended the margin to 24-19 and it was the DeShang Weaver show over the final four minutes of the first half. The redshirt sophomore scored seven-straight Golden Eagle points for an 11-point advantage, 34-23, and added five more points before the break totaling 14 in the frame as the No. 4 seed took a 39-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
It was a defensive battle beginning the second half with Abmas converting two free throws and the lead went to 12, 43-31. After UND pulled within eight, Thompson came up clutch again burying a 3-pointer and Weaver dropped in a floater as the Golden Eagles moved in front, 48-35. The Fighting Hawks chipped away at deficit making it a seven-point game until Weaver capped a 7-1 run moving the advantage back to 13.
 
ORU fought off another late run as UND closed the gap to two possessions, 62-56, getting a monster slam from Kevin Obanor to stop the momentum and it erased any chance of a comeback. The lead went back into double digits for the final four minutes as the Golden Eagles knocked down their free throws securing the 76-65 victory.
 
Turning Point
Holding a 25-21 lead late in the opening stanza, a 9-2 run by the Golden Eagles pushed the margin to 11 with 2:02 to play in the frame as Weaver drilled a triple to end the burst.
 
Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas failed to make a 3-pointer for the first time this season, but found a way to post his 10th-consecutive outing with at least 20 points scoring a game-high 22 on 8-of-15 shooting.

North Dakota: Four different players scored 11 points for the Fighting Hawks to pace the team, while All-Summit League performer Filip Rebraca was held to single digits for the first time all season.

Inside the Box Score
- Carlos Jürgens was a defensive spark posting two blocks and two steals with active hands in the passing lanes, while grabbing a career-best seven rebounds to lead ORU on the glass. The redshirt sophomore added 11 points thanks to a perfect 6-of-6 effort at the free-throw line and two assists.
 
- At the 10:42 mark of the first half, Abmas dropped in a free throw for his ninth point of the night and 1,000th of his ORU career as the 37th player in school history to hit the century mark. The Rockwall, Texas, native needed just 54 games for the accomplishment as the ninth-fastest in the program.
 
- Weaver came off the bench and scored 14 points in the final nine minutes of the first half to lead all scorers at the break. He finished with a season-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor.
 
- Thompson registered 16 points hitting a pair from distance and Obanor added nine points as only five ORU players recorded a point.
 
News and Notes
- With Obanor and Abmas both reaching 1,000 career points during the 2020-21 season, ORU had multiple players reach the milestone in the same campaign for the seventh time in program history and first since 2004-05 when Caleb Green, Ken Tutt and Luke Spencer-Gardner accomplished it.
 
- The Golden Eagles entered the contest seventh in the NCAA shooting 39 percent from 3-point range, but were just 5-of-20 Sunday, the fewest makes from behind the arc all season. The difference came as they limited the Fighting Hawks to 19 percent from distance and made 19-of-21 free throws (91 percent).
 
- ORU swatted seven UND shot attempts and won the turnover battle by doubling up the opponent, 14-7, leading to 15 points off turnovers.
 
- It is the second-straight year the Golden Eagles have won in the quarterfinals as the No. 4 seed.
 
Up Next
ORU will take on top-seeded South Dakota State Monday night at 5:45 p.m. in The Summit League Championship Semifinals with live video on ESPN+ and audio on ORUSN and 99.9FM ESPN Radio.
 
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.