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The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 73 – Omaha 64
Record: ORU (19-4, 10-0) – Omaha (7-16, 3-8)
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma (Mabee Center)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team won its 13^th home game of the season Saturday evening with a 73-64 victory over the Omaha Mavericks at the Mabee Center on Hall of Fame Night.
 
On a night that Golden Eagle fans will remember for a long time, the men's basketball team put on a show and tied the most home wins in a season (13) in the Paul Mills era. In front of a crowd of more than 7,800, the Mabee Center once again showed why it truly is magnificent. ORU Athletics inducted Golden Eagle legend Caleb Green into the Hall of Fame and retired his No. 30 jersey, which now hangs in the rafters. As ORU improved to 19-4 overall and 10-0 in Summit League play, the real icing on the cake is the three and a half game advantage Oral Roberts now has in the league standings.  
 
As the game started, ORU jumped out to a six point lead in the first minutes, eventually leading by as much as nine just 10 minutes in. A 10-0 run by Omaha would erase the lead and the Golden Eagles found themselves down by 1 with 7:37 on the clock. As ORU led by one with 1:04 left in the first, Max Abmas hit a three-pointer for a four point lead. Tulsa native Marquel Sutton would hit a jumper for Omaha before the break and ORU led, 32-30, at halftime. Despite shooting just 36 percent from the field, two Golden Eagles scored in double-digits in the first as Connor Vanover had 13 and Issac McBride added 11.  
 
In the second half, the Golden Eagles jumped out ahead by seven before a 6-0 Omaha run brought the Mavericks to within one. With 8:43 left on the clock, Omaha tied the game, 49-49. After a layup by ORU's DeShang Weaver, the Mavericks took their first lead of the second half with a three-pointer on the following possession. Omaha would lead by as much as three in the second. When trailing by one, Vanover hit a pair of free-throws to regain a one point lead for ORU that would spark a 10-0 Golden Eagle run. The run was highlighted by a steal and dunk by Kareem Thompson with 1:29 to play. Omaha would get back to within seven, but Trey Phipps closed out the game with a pair from the charity stripe and ORU won, 73-64.
 
Four Golden Eagles scored in double-digits with Vanover leading the team with a season high 23 points and 10 rebounds for a consecutive double-double. Max Abmas scored 18 points followed by Issac McBride who had his sixth consecutive double-digit game with 13. Kareem Thompson recorded 11 points for back-to-back double-digit games. Defensively, ORU has held conference opponents to 72 or fewer points in eight of their 10 games played.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Vanover had his fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Omaha: Marquel Sutton scored 19 and Frankie Fidler pulled down 10 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU shot 22.2 percent from the three-point line.
 
- ORU shot 40.3 percent from the field.

- The Golden Eagles had 12 assists on 27 made baskets.

- Oral Roberts had 38 points in the paint and six bench points.

- ORU forced Omaha to nine turnovers and scored 13 points off those takeaways.

News and Notes

- Abmas has scored 2,303 career points which puts him 5^th all-time in the ORU record book. He is the eighth player to record 2,000-plus points in ORU history. He's recorded 378 three-pointer made making him second all-time in ORU history in that category.

- For Abmas, it was his 10^th-straight double-digit game.

- Vanover earned his fourth double-double of the season and scored a season high 23 points.
 
- Vanover has 71 blocks on the season and is second the nation in total blocks and in blocks per game.

- The Golden Eagles improved to 10-0 in Summit League play for the first time since 2011-12. ORU now has a minimum of a three and a half game lead over everyone in the conference standings.

- ORU is 13-0 inside the Mabee Center this season. The 13 wins at home ties the most in a season in the Paul Mills era.
 
- Head Coach Paul Mills is five wins shy of 100 career wins as a head coach.   

Up Next
ORU will close out its home stand with a showdown with the South Dakota Coyotes Monday, January 30 at 7 p.m. inside the Mabee Center. Fans are encouraged to click HERE to Pack the Mabee!

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.