Box Score | Season Stats | 2022-23 Schedule

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 92 – Omaha 89
Record: ORU (11-3, 2-0) – UNO (5-9, 1-1)
Location: Omaha, Nebraska (Baxter Arena)
 
OMAHA, Neb. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team secured its eighth-straight victory Thursday evening with a 92-89 win over the Omaha Mavericks in Omaha, Nebraska.
 
Max Abmas led all scorers with a season high 32 points Thursday evening that was highlighted by a career high 15 from the charity stripe. It was Abmas' second 30 point game of the season. Patrick Mwamba had 13 points on the night followed by Issac McBride with 12.
 
The Golden Eagles started the first half strong, despite Omaha scoring first. Abmas hit his first three-point bucket of the game on the following possession to give the lead to ORU. After Omaha scored on the other end, Connor Vanover hit a layup and was fouled to spark a 7-0 run and to regain the ORU lead. The Golden Eagles wouldn't let go of the lead for the remainder of the half. Omaha would tie it with 13:59 remaining, but Abmas answered with another three-pointer. ORU went on an 11-2 run to go up by 10 with 3:33 on the clock. Omaha would claw back to pull to within four at the half, 44-40. The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and 60 percent from beyond the arc as Mwamba and DeShang Weaver each had nine points.
 
After keeping the Mavericks at arms-length for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Omaha went on a 6-0 run and tied the game, 61-61, with 10:15 to play. The Mavericks took a two point lead with 8:23 to play. The Golden Eagles regained the lead, but Omaha came back and took another lead with 7:45 to go. Once the game was tied, 70-70, with 5:51 on the clock, Abmas hit a three to give ORU the lead back and the Golden Eagles didn't let go. Oral Roberts would lead by as much as five, but Omaha cut it to one, twice with seconds on the clock. With five seconds remaining, Abmas hit two critical free-throws to give ORU a three-point advantage. On the final possession for Omaha, Vanover stole the inbound and sealed the game, 92-89.
 
It was the eighth-straight win for ORU as the Golden Eagles are on their longest winning streak since the 2011-12 season. The Golden Eagles extended their win streak over the Omaha Mavericks to seven, with four being at Omaha.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas scored a season high 32 points and Mwamba pulled down eight rebounds.

Omaha: Frankie Fidler captured 20 points and seven rebounds. Akol Arop also had seven boards.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU shot 59.3 percent from the three-point line.
 
- ORU shot 47.4 percent from the field.

- The Golden Eagles had 17 assists on 27 made baskets.

- Oral Roberts had 22 points in the paint and 30 bench points.

- ORU forced Omaha to 14 turnovers and scored 14 points off those takeaways.

News and Notes

- Abmas has scored 2,078 career points which puts him 6^th all-time in the ORU record book. He is the eighth player to record 2,000-plus points in ORU history. He's recorded 344 three-pointer made making him second all-time in ORU history in that category.
 
- Vanover has 43 blocks on the season and is second the nation in total blocks and in blocks per game.

- Abmas went 15-for-17 from the free-throw for a career high. He also made seven assists, tying his season high.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will continue on to play against the Denver Pioneers Saturday, December 31 2 p.m. CST in Denver, Colorado.

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.