THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 94 – No. 15 Oklahoma 105
Records: ORU (0-1); No. 15 Oklahoma (1-0)
Location: Lloyd Noble Center – Norman, Okla.

NORMAN, Okla. – Despite a 57-point second half, the Oral Roberts women's basketball team dropped their 2022-23 season opener on the road to No. 15 Oklahoma, 105-94, Saturday afternoon inside the Lloyd Noble Center.

Forward Tirzah Moore poured in 25 points to go along with a career-high 17 rebounds, 11 of which were on the offensive glass, for her fourth career double-double. The 17 boards marked the first time a Golden Eagle registered 15-plus rebounds since the 2020-21 season. 

Sara Rodrigues joined Tirzah Moore in double-figures with a career-high 16 points. The senior also knocked down a career-best four three-pointers. Guard Hannah Cooper delivered a strong all-around performance as the senior netted 15 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished out a team-best five assists.

In the opening quarter, the Sooners used a 21-4 run that lasted 4:34 to open a 20-point advantage, 27-7, at the 3:52 mark. During the stretch, the Golden Eagles were held scoreless for 2:51. Rodrigues broke the run with her first three-pointer of the game and sparked an 8-0 surge for ORU as they trimmed the deficit to 27-15 with 2:08 remaining in the period. Oklahoma responded with 11 of the final 13 points to take a 38-17 lead after a quarter of action.
 
The Sooners lead bloomed to 29, 48-19, following a 9-0 run to open the second stanza. Talia Pogi stopped the bleeding for ORU with her first triple of the game as 7:23 remained in the half. Oklahoma's lead grew to 32, 57-25, at the 5:00 mark behind a 7-0 stretch. Five of the next six points went the way of ORU as they cut the deficit to 58-30 with 2:57 showing on the clock. Oklahoma outscored ORU 9-7 the rest of the way to take a 67-37 lead into the break.

After the Sooners logged the first basket out of the intermission, the Golden Eagles answered with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 69-48 with 6:24 left in the quarter. Ruthie Udoumoh recorded seven of her career-high 15 points during the stretch. Rodrigues' third three of the contest ended a 2:18 scoring drought for both sides as ORU drew within 20, 73-53 at the 3:28 mark. The Sooners totaled 10 of the final 15 points of the period as they took an 83-58 lead into the fourth.

After the Sooners pushed their lead to 29, 99-70, at the 5:27 mark, the Golden Eagles used an 18-4 run to cut the deficit to 15, 103-88, with 1:42 left in the contest. Tirzah Moore totaled nine of the 18 points for ORU during the stretch. After the Sooners broke the run with a fastbreak layup, Rodrigues and Udoumoh knocked down back-to-back threes to make the final score 105-94 in favor of the Sooners.


THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Tirzah Moore recorded her fourth career double-double after posting 25 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds. Both numbers led all players in the contest. 

No. 15 Oklahoma: Five Sooners registered double-figures on the afternoon led by Madi Williams, who finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
                                                                                                                                                  
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- ORU shot 40 percent from the field and knocked down nine threes in the contest.
- In the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles shot 61 percent from the field.
- The two sides split the battle on the boards, 50-50.
- The Golden Eagles totaled 17 offensive rebounds in the contest.
- Trinity Moore and Udoumoh recorded a game-high tying two blocks apiece.
- Cooper's six assists led all players on the afternoon.
- Cooper, Trinity Moore, Delaney Nix and Rodrigues were all perfect from the free-throw line.
- Off the bench, Pogi contributed eight points in nine minutes of action.

GAME NOTES
- The Golden Eagles' 94 points were their most in a season-opener since the 2019-20 season.
- With the loss, ORU is now 26-22 all-time in season openers.
- Against the Sooners, the Golden Eagles are now 14-22 all-time.
- Dating back to last season, Tirzah Moore has registered double figures in 13 of her last 14 contests.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles remain on the road as they travel to face UNLV Friday at 7:30 p.m. central time. 

For the latest information on ORU women's basketball, follow @ORUWBB on Twitter or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.  Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new ORU Athletics app in the Google Play or App stores.