Box Score | Season Stats | 2021-22 Schedule

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 80 – Western Illinois 68
Record: ORU (19-11, 12-6) - WIU (18-12, 12-6)
Location: Sioux Falls, S.D. (Denny Sanford PREMIER Center)
 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team defeated Western Illinois, 80-68, Sunday evening in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to advance to the semifinal round on Monday, March 7.  
 
Max Abmas led the Golden Eagles back to the Summit League Tournament Sunday evening to defend their championship title from last season. Abmas scored 22 on the night going 6-for-15 overall and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. Elijah Lufile made his presence known with 18 points and 9-for-13 outing. Lufile captured his third-straight double-double grabbing 14 rebounds. Issac McBride and DeShang Weaver each scored 11 points in the game. Thirty-two of the Golden Eagles' 43 first-half points came in the paint.
 
Western Illinois never led in the quarterfinal as ORU scored the first points of the game and maintained it for the complete 40 minutes. The Golden Eagles led by eight just six minutes into the game, but the lead was short lived as WIU cut it to three, two minutes later. ORU largest lead of the game came with 4:48 left in the first half when Francis Lacis connected on an alley-oop to put the Golden Eagles on top by 14. The Leathernecks cut the game to 10 before McBride hit a layup at the buzzer to give ORU a 43-31 lead at half.
 
The Leathernecks started the second half on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to four just five minutes in. ORU got back up by 11 with 9:42 before another WIU run made a three point game three minutes later. It would be the closest margin as the Golden Eagles extended their lead to then go back up by double-digits with a minute to go. Abmas hit his ninth free-throw of the game to make it an 80-68 final score.
 
All-Summit League Second Teamer Trenton Massner went 10-for-23 for 28 points for Western Illinois. The Leathernecks had three score in double-digits that included 14 from Tamell Pearson and 11 from Colton Sandage. Overall, WIU shot 42.6 percent from the field.
                                                                                                                                          
Turning Point
Weaver hit back-to-back three-point buckets to lift his to a 10 point advantage after only leading by four with 11 minutes to play.   

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Abmas scored 22 points and Lufile had 18 points with 14 rebounds for another double-double.

Western Illinois: Massner scored 28 and Sandage grabbed six rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles scored 44 points in the paint compared WIU's 28. ORU's bench production secured 13 points.
 
- ORU 45.5 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from beyond the arc.
 
- WIU shot 42.6 percent overall and 32.1 percent from long range.
 
- ORU out-rebounded WIU, 42-32. The Golden Eagles secured 11 offensive rebounds.
 
- The Golden Eagles went 13-for-14 from the free-throw line.
 
News and Notes
- For his 26^th consecutive game, Abmas had 10-plus points.
 
- It was the third-straight double-double for Lufile.

Up Next
ORU will take on the No. 2 North Dakota State Bison Monday, March 7 at 8:30 p.m. inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on ESPN+.

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.