THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 94 – Western Illinois 90
Records: ORU (6-11, 3-3); Western Illinois (6-12, 1-6)
Location: Western Hall – Macomb, Ill.

MACOMB, Ill. – A season-high five Golden Eagles reached double-figures as the Oral Roberts women's basketball team picked up their first Summit League road win of the season with a 94-90 victory over Western Illinois Thursday evening inside Western Hall.

Ariel Walker led ORU with a career-high tying 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Sharpshooter Delaney Nix, who knocked down five three-pointers on the night, followed with 17 points.

For the 12th straight game, Hannah Cooper, surpassed double-digit points as the senior finished with 16 on the night. Off the bench, Lauren Ramey netted a season-high 13 points and added five rebounds. 

Tirzah Moore logged her third straight double-double as the sophomore totaled 12 points and pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds, which led all players. The 20 boards marked the first time a Golden Eagle accomplished the feat since Vicky McIntyre in 2015.

With the score even at 6-6 in the opening quarter, ORU used an 11-2 run to take a 17-8 lead and force a Leatherneck timeout at the 4:00 mark. After WIU netted a pair of free throws out of the stoppage, the Golden Eagles responded with the final seven points of the period to take their largest lead of the contest, 24-10, into the second. Defensively, the Golden Eagles held the Leathernecks to 22.2 percent shooting in the quarter.

WIU flipped the script in the second as a 16-0 run put the Leathernecks back in front, 31-28, with 4:18 remaining in the half. During the stretch, ORU was held scoreless for 3:15. Walker broke the run with a pair of makes at the charity stripe but the Leathernecks fired back with a 9-2 stretch to increase their advantage to eight, 40-32, at the 2:03 mark. Following a Moore layup, WIU closed the half with the final seven points to take their largest lead of the contest, 47-34, into the break.

ORU raced out to a 12-2 start in the third, trimming the deficit to three, 49-46, and forcing a Leatherneck timeout with 7:47 showing on the clock. During the stretch, Nix knocked down two of her five triples. Out of the stoppage, WIU put an end to the run and bumped their lead back to eight, 56-48, at the 6:00 mark. An 8-0 run, which was capped off by a Nix three, put the Golden Eagles back in front, 68-66, with :38 ticks left in the quarter. On the ensuing possession, the Leathernecks beat the buzzer with a floater as the two squads headed to the fourth tied at 68-68.

After WIU opened a 70-68 lead courtesy of a pair of free throws, Walker and Ramey followed with a pair of buckets to put ORU back in front for good with 7:18 left in the contest. A 5-0 spurt by the Golden Eagles upped their advantage to seven, 81-74, at the 3:00 mark. In the final 2:00 of action, ORU went 9-of-10 from the foul line as they staved off the Leathernecks for the 94-90 win.

THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Walker led a season-high five Golden Eagles in double-figures with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Moore logged a career-high 20 rebounds to lead all players.

Western Illinois: Jada Thorpe led all players with 28 points, while Anna Deets added 24 to lead WIU on the night.
                                                                                                                                                 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- ORU held the Leathernecks to 36.6 percent shooting and 24.2 percent from three on the night.
- The Golden Eagles won the battle on the glass, 50-40.
- Cooper and Walker combined to go 14-of-14 from the charity stripe.
- Cooper logged a game-high tying three steals in the win.
- Ruthie Udoumoh dished out a game-best and career-high tying six assists.
- Nix totaled 12 of her 17 points in the third quarter.
- In total, the lead changed seven times and there were six ties. 

GAME NOTES
- Thursday's contest marked the 54th meeting all-time between ORU and WIU.
- With the win, the Golden Eagles are now 31-23 against the Leathernecks and have won five straight in the series. 
- On the road, ORU is now 11-12 all-time against WIU.
- Walker totaled 20-plus points for the third time this season.
- Cooper reached double-figures for the 12th straight game and 16th time this season.
- On the glass, Moore led ORU for the 23rd time in her career.
- The sophomore's 20 boards marked the first time a Golden Eagle accomplished the feat since Vicky McIntyre in 2015.
- The double-double was Moore's third straight and eighth of the season.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles round out their three-game road trip with a visit to Summit League foe St. Thomas Saturday, January 14 at 1 p.m.

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.