Box Score | Season Stats | 2022-23 Schedule

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 70 – Saint Mary's 78
Record: ORU (0-1) - SMC (1-0)
Location: Moraga, Calif. (University Credit Union Pavilion)
 
MORAGA, Calif. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team opened the 2022-23 campaign Monday evening and fell, 78-70, at Saint Mary's in Moraga, California.
 
The Golden Eagles showcased a new starting lineup to begin the 2022-23 campaign. Max Abmas, Carlos Jurgens, Issac McBride and Kareem Thompson along with newcomer Connor Vanover recorded their first starts of the season.
 
As the game started, Saint Mary's got out to a 5-0 lead before Vanover scored the first three-point bucket of the season for the Golden Eagles. After taking a one point lead with 14 minutes to go in the first half, the Gaels went on a 12-2 run to go up by 10 with nine minutes to go. DeShang Weaver broke the SMC run with a free-throw. Patrick Mwamba followed up with a jumper to pull the Golden Eagles back to within seven. Another 11-0 run by SMC, put the Gaels back up by 18 with five minutes left in the first. ORU was down by as much as 21 in the first half, before Mwamba hit a three-point shot to send it to halftime.
 
ORU made a statement to start the second half. Before the first media timeout, the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 11. After a 6-0 run that was highlighted by a Mwamba and-one, ORU pulled to within six with eight minutes to play. Defensively, the Golden Eagles held the Gaels scoreless for five-plus minutes. ORU eventually pulled to as close as four after a pair of free-throws by Abmas. Down the stretch, SMC went back up by 11 to get ORU at arms-length. A three-pointer by McBride with 48 seconds left brought it to within eight and after another pair of free-throws by Abmas, SMC ended the game with the 78-70 advantage.
 
It was the first time since 2017 a Golden Eagle had five or more blocks in a game. Vanover shined in the paint making six blocks in his debut in the navy and gold. Four Golden Eagles scored in double-digits and six had eight or more points in the game. After shooting 46 percent in the first half, the ORU defense stuffed Saint Mary's to only 10-for-31 overall in the second. The Golden Eagle offense out-scored SMC, 41-31, in the second stanza.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: The All-American Abmas led the Golden Eagles with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Saint Mary's: True freshman Aidan Mahaney went 8-for-19 for 25 points for the Gaels. Kyle Bowen had 11 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- After only converting on three three-point jumpers in the first half, ORU had nine in the second.  
 
- ORU shot 39.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- The Golden Eagles had 11 assists on 23 made baskets and had 13 fast break points compared to SMC's zero.
 
- The Golden Eagles defense held the Gaels to 10-for-31 for 32.3 percent overall in the second half. In the game, SMC shot 8-for-26 for 30.8 percent from long range.
 
News and Notes
- Vanover's six blocks was the first time an ORU player had five or more blocks in a game since Albert Owens had seven against Oakland on November 27, 2017.
 
- The Golden Eagles now tie the all-time series with SMC, 1-1.
 
- Extending from last season, ORU has now made 10-plus three-point buckets in 10 of its last 12 games.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will play their first home game of the season Friday, November 11 at 7 p.m. against John Brown for homecoming at the Mabee Center.

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.