THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 75 – North Dakota State 53
Records: ORU (7-12, 4-4); North Dakota State (12-6, 6-2)
Location: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. – Behind a career-high 30 points from Tirzah Moore, the Oral Roberts women's basketball team rolled past North Dakota State, 75-53, Thursday evening inside the Mabee Center.

In the win, ORU put together one of their best defensive performances of the season as they held the Bison to 28.4 percent shooting from the field and 10.0 percent from the three-point line, both of which were season-lows for NDSU.

Moore finished the contest 13-of-16 from the floor and added a game-best 15 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. The sophomore also led all players with four blocks on the night. 

Hannah Cooper reached double-figures for the 14th straight game as the senior poured in 16 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Senior Delaney Nix rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Golden Eagles, totaling 10 points on the evening.

It was a back-and-forth start to the opening quarter as the Golden Eagles held a 10-9 advantage at the media timeout. Out of the stoppage, ORU scored nine of the next 10 points to stretch their advantage to eight, 19-11, at the 2:37 mark. NDSU responded with the final four points of the period to trim the Golden Eagle advantage to four, 19-15. Cooper and Moore led the way for ORU in the opening quarter as the two netted eight points apiece. 

In a tightly contested second period, the Golden Eagles outscored the Bison, 14-13, to take a 33-28 lead into the break. Just before the half, NDSU had cut the deficit to two, 30-28, with :29 ticks left on the clock but Nix responded with a three-pointer from the top of the key in the closing seconds. In the quarter, Moore led all players with seven points.

Out of the break, ORU's lead bloomed to 16, 44-28, behind an 11-0 run in the opening 4:53. Cooper jumpstarted the stretch with a fastbreak layup and Moore capped it off with an and-one. After the Bison broke their scoreless streak, the Golden Eagles scored the next five points to increase their advantage to 18, 49-31, at the 3:18 mark. NDSU answered with a 7-0 run to close out the quarter, cutting the ORU lead to 11, 49-38.

Following a Golden Eagle timeout, ORU used a 6-0 spurt to push their advantage to 17, 59-42, heading into the final media timeout with 5:58 remaining in the contest. After the Bison trimmed the lead to 12, 59-47, out of the stoppage, the Golden Eagles answered with a 12-1 run to take a 71-48 advantage with 2:23 showing on the clock. During the stretch, Moore netted seven of the 12 points for ORU. A Ruthie Udoumoh and-one gave the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the contest, 75-50, at the 1:14 mark and ORU later went on to claim the 75-53 victory.

THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Moore poured in a career-best 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. 

North Dakota State: Elle Evans led three Bison in double-figures with 14 points on the evening. 
                                                                                                                                                 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Golden Eagles held the Bison to 28.4 percent shooting from the field and 10.0 percent from behind the arc, both of which were season-lows for NDSU.
- Offensively, ORU shot 46.9 percent from the field.
- On the glass, the two sides were even at 42-42.
- Cooper and Ariel Walker combined for eight of the Golden Eagles' 13 assists on the night.
- Moore registered four of ORU's game-high five blocks.
- Defensively, the Golden Eagles forced 23 turnovers and registered 12 steals.
- Udoumoh totaled a game-high tying three steals in the win.
- ORU netted 52 of their 75 points in the paint on the night.

GAME NOTES
- Thursday's contest marked the 29th meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Bison.
- With the victory, ORU improved to 20-8 all-time against NDSU.
- Inside the Mabee Center, the Golden Eagles are now 13-1 against the Bison.
- Moore's double-double was her ninth of the season and 12 of her career.
- The sophomore has also secured 10-plus rebounds in 10 of the 15 games she has played this season.
- Cooper has reached double-figures in 18 of the 19 games this season.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles remain on the home floor as they host North Dakota Saturday, January 21 at 2 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.

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