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The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 71 – North Dakota State 72
Record: ORU (13-7, 7-2) - NDSU (12-7, 4-3)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team fell short Saturday evening to the North Dakota State Bison, 72-71, at the Mabee Center.
 
The Golden Eagles had three score in double-digits Saturday with Max Abmas leading the way for the ninth-straight game earning 18. Issac McBride followed with 15 and Kareem Thompson had 11 on the night.
 
North Dakota State took an early lead going up 5-0 to start. ORU managed to take a one point lead when Abmas hit a three with 8:39 left in the first. After the team's tied the game three more times, McBride put the Golden Eagles on top by five with a jumper in the paint with 2:24 remaining. NDSU wouldn't be denied as the Bison managed to squeak out a three-point lead at the half, 42-39.
 
After tying the game three times in the first seven minutes of the second half, the Bison would take their largest lead of the game by six with 8:43 to play. With 1:42 to go, Carlos Jurgens took the ball to the rim and made a layup to put ORU to within three. As ORU trailed 69-66 with 35 second left, Trey Phipps stole the ball. Phipps steal led to a bucket by Abmas to make it a 69-68 NDSU lead with 19 seconds to play. NDSU's Jarius Cook was then fouled and went 1-for-2 from the line to lead, 70-68. In transition from the missed free-throw, Abmas found his sweet spot for a corner three to give the Golden Eagles a 71-70 lead with eight seconds to play. After a timeout, NDSU's Sam Griesel brought the ball up and got to the baseline where he sank a 12-foot floater from the right side to regain the lead, 72-71, with two seconds remaining. The Golden Eagles got a good look on the next play, but Abmas was unable to connect as the final buzzer sounded.
 
North Dakota State had three score in double-digits with Tyree Eady and Griesel each having 18 points. Rocky Kreuser followed up with 15 as NDSU shot 42 percent overall on the night and 41 percent from three-point range as the Bison snapped ORU's six game winning streak.
 
Turning Point
With two seconds remaining, after ORU took a one point lead, Griesel knocked down a floater to lift North Dakota State to a 72-71 advantage.       

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas ended the night with 18 points and Jurgens and Thompson grabbed six rebounds each.

North Dakota State: Eady and Griesel each had 18 while Dezmond McKinney grabbed seven rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles scored 34 points in the paint. ORU's bench production secured 29 points.
 
- ORU 41.3 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- NDSU shot 41.7 percent overall and 40.9 percent from long range.
 
- ORU out-rebounded NDSU, 40-33. The Golden Eagles secured eight offensive rebounds.
 
News and Notes
- For his 16th consecutive game, Abmas had 10-plus points. It was his ninth-straight game to lead ORU in scoring.
 
- The Golden Eagles snapped a six-game winning streak.
 
- ORU closed out the first half of Summit League play going 7-2. It is the best start to league play in the Paul Mills era.

Up Next
ORU hits the road to Omaha to face the Mavericks Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. inside Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.

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.