THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 96 – North Dakota 91
Records: ORU (8-12, 5-4); North Dakota (11-8, 4-5)
Location: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. – Ruthie Udoumoh logged her first career triple-double and the Oral Roberts women's basketball team held off North Dakota, 96-91, Saturday afternoon inside the Mabee Center. The junior's triple-double marked the first by a Golden Eagle since Faith Ihim in 2018.

Udoumoh poured in 19 points, pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds and dished out 11 assists en route to the triple-double. The 14 boards and 11 dimes were both career-highs for the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native.

For the second straight game and 10th time this season, Tirzah Moore registered a double-double as the sophomore finished with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and added 12 rebounds. Sharpshooter Delaney Nix led the Golden Eagles in the scoring column as the senior totaled 20 points and went 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Ariel Walker (16) and Hannah Cooper (14) rounded out the double-digit scorers for ORU, marking the first time since 2013 that all five ORU starters reached double-figures in the same game.

Despite opening the contest with six of the first eight points, the Golden Eagles trailed, 12-11, at the under-five media timeout. After ORU reclaimed the lead, 17-16, the Fighting Hawks used an 11-4 stretch to take their largest advantage of the contest, 27-21, with :24 ticks left in the quarter. Udoumoh cut the deficit in half at the buzzer with her first three-pointer of the afternoon as the two sides headed to the second with UND on top, 27-24.

Following a UND basket to open the second, Nena Taylor and Nix knocked down back-to-back triples to put ORU back in front, 30-29, at the 8:24 mark. The two squads traded the next 14 points before the Fighting Hawks closed the half with seven of the final 10 to carry a 43-40 advantage into the break. Udoumoh nearly completed her triple-double in the first half as the sophomore headed into the locker room with eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

A Udoumoh layup to open the second half sparked a 14-2 run for the Golden Eagles as they reclaimed the lead, 54-45, with 5:09 showing on the clock. After a fastbreak layup from Kacie Borwicz slowed the run momentarily, the Golden Eagles responded with a 7-1 stretch to push their advantage to 13, 61-48, with 3:29 remaining on the clock. Over the final three minutes, ORU outscored UND 8-6 as they headed to the fourth with a 69-54 lead. In the quarter, ORU's defense held the Fighting Hawks to 11 points and 21.4 percent shooting.

In the fourth, the Golden Eagles lead grew to 19, 80-61, following a 7-2 stretch at the 6:25 mark. The Fighting Hawks refused to go away though as they drew within four, 90-86, at the :35 mark following a 16-3 run that lasted 2:33. After a Moore fastbreak layup put ORU back up six, 94-88, with :17 ticks left, UND answered on the other end with a three to cut the lead to 94-91. Out of an ORU timeout, Udoumoh drew a foul and knocked down both free throws, sealing the 96-91 victory for the Golden Eagles. 

THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Udoumoh totaled 19 points to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Golden Eagles in the win. 

North Dakota: Borowicz led all players with 24 points and 12 assists on the afternoon. On the glass, Claire Orth led the Fighting Hawks with eight rebounds.
                                                                                                                                                 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Golden Eagles shot 54.8 percent from the field in the win.
- From behind the arc, ORU knocked down a season-best 11 threes.
- On the glass, the Golden Eagles outrebounded the Fighting Hawks, 42-38.
- Cooper and Walker led ORU with three steals apiece on the afternoon.
- Off the bench, Sara Rodrigues contributed eight rebounds.
- Taylor added six points in 12 minutes of action off the bench.
- The lead changed 18 times in the contest. 

GAME NOTES
- Saturday's matchup marked the 10th meeting all-time between ORU and UND.
- With the win, the Golden Eagles are now 8-2 all-time against the Fighting Hawks and have won three straight in the series.
- Inside the Mabee Center, ORU improved to 6-2 on the season and 5-1 all-time against UND.
- All five starters reached double-figures for the Golden Eagles, marking the first time ORU has accomplished the feat since 2013.
- Udoumoh became the first Golden Eagle to log a triple-double since Faith Ihim in 2018. 
- Moore's double-double was her 10th of the season and 13th of her career.
- Cooper reached double-figures for the 15th straight game and 19th time this season in the win.
- Nix's 20-point performance was the third of her ORU career.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action Thursday, January 26 as they travel to face Denver at 7 p.m. central time.

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.

---#GoldenStandard---