Box Score | Season Stats | 2021-22 Schedule
The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 88 – St. Thomas 66
Record: ORU (16-8, 10-3) - UST (8-14, 2-8)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
 
TULSA, Okla. – Elijah Lufile earned his second double-double of the season in the Oral Roberts men's basketball team's 88-66 win over St. Thomas Saturday evening at the Mabee Center.
 
Lufile was one of five double-digit scorers in Saturday's game. He connected for a career high 25 points going 11-for-14 from the field and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds with nine being offensive. The post player from Milton, Ontario, also went 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. Issac McBride scored 13 on the night and Carlos Jurgens had 12 points. Max Abmas and Trey Phipps each had 10 points.
 
After back and forth play to begin the game the Golden Eagles only managed to lead by four in the first half of play. The Tommies and Golden Eagles had six lead changes and tied the game four times in the first 20 minutes of play and UST led by as much as six only two minutes into the game. The Tommies shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half and led, 36-34, going into halftime.
 
With the game tied with 14:30 to play, Lufile took off from the middle of the paint to make a statement with a one-handed dunk to bring the Mabee Center to its feet. A few minutes later, the Tommies regained the lead before McBride took it back for ORU with a three-pointer to make it a 54-53 advantage. His triple sparked a 14-2 run ORU to go up by 10 with 9:10 to play. Lufile then added to his highlight reel with another one-handed jam on an inbounds play from Abmas with 7:34 to play. After St. Thomas cut it to seven, Lufile captured another dunk on an inbound from Abmas and was fouled with five minutes to go. He connected on the and-one opportunity. Down the stretch, ORU went on a 14-0 run, to hold the Tommies scoreless in the final five minutes to win, 88-66.
 
The Golden Eagle bench scored 50 points on the night. It is the first time since November 2021 the Golden Eagle bench has out-scored the starters. ORU also had 20 assists on 33 made baskets. For St. Thomas, Parker Bjorklund led the Tommies with 25 points going 12-for-23 from the field. The Golden Eagle defense held the visitors to 32 percent from the field in the second half and out-scored the league foe, 24-11 in the final 10 minutes of the game.
 
Turning Point
McBride hit a triple to take the lead with 11:57 to play and ORU didn't look back. His three sparked an 14-2 run.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Lufile ended the night with his second double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

St. Thomas: Bjorklund had 25 points with six rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles scored 38 points in the paint. ORU's bench production secured 50 points.
 
- ORU 45.8 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- UST shot 40.9 percent overall and 24.0 percent from long range.
 
- ORU out-rebounded UST, 46-32. The Golden Eagles secured 17 offensive rebounds.
 
News and Notes
- For his 20th consecutive game, Abmas had 10-plus points.
 
- It was the second-straight game for ORU to score 50-plus points in the second half.  
 
- The Golden Eagles have scored 10 or more three-pointers in 19 games this season.
 
- For four-straight games, ORU has had four or more players score in double-digits.

Up Next
ORU will welcome the Kansas City Roos to the Mabee Center Saturday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. for 80's Night.

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.