THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 85 – Western Illinois 91
Records: ORU (11-14, 8-6); Western Illinois (10-16, 5-10)
Location: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team fell to Western Illinois, 91-85, Saturday afternoon inside the Mabee Center.

Sharpshooter Delaney Nix led all players with 24 points behind a career-high seven three-pointers. The 20-plus point performance marked the senior's fifth of the season.

Hannah Cooper followed with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists for her second career double-double. The senior also added six rebounds and two steals. With the 17 points, Cooper has now reached double-figures in 24 of the 25 contests this season.

Junior Ruthie Udoumoh nearly missed a double-double for the second straight game after finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds. Making her first career start as a Golden Eagle, Lauren Ramey turned in her best performance of the season as the Kiefer, Oklahoma, native totaled 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for her first double-double the year. Ramey also registered a game-best two blocks.

ORU faced an eight-point deficit, 13-5, in the opening 4:02 before a 7-1 run drew them to within two, 14-12, at the 4:59 mark. After the two sides traded the next 14 points, the Golden Eagles closed the quarter with the final five points to take a 24-23 lead into the second. Nix led all players in the period with nine points.

A 7-2 stretch saw the Golden Eagles open their largest lead of the half, 34-27, with 5:53 showing on the clock. The Leathernecks responded with a 9-0 run to jump back in front 36-34 at the 4:17 mark. Tirzah Moore put an end to the run with a hook shot and Udoumoh followed with a three-pointer to put ORU in front, 41-36, as 1:37 showed on the clock. The two sides traded a pair of free throws in the final minute as the Golden Eagles took a 43-38 lead into the break.

Following back-to-back threes from Cooper and Nix, ORU took its largest advantage of the contest, 49-41, with 8:42 remaining in the third. WIU answered with a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead, 50-49, as 7:18 showed on the clock. After a pair of free throws from Ramey put ORU back in front, 66-65, the Leathernecks netted the final four points of the period as they headed to the fourth with a 69-66 lead. In the third, there were seven lead changes and five ties.

The Golden Eagles battled back to regain the lead, 74-73, behind a Ramey three-pointer at the 6:39 mark but found themselves trailing, 77-76, at the under-five media timeout. ORU later regained the lead, 82-79, courtesy of a 5-0 spurt that was capped off by a Ramey fast break layup with 3:30 left in the contest. The Leathernecks answered with a 12-3 run to close the contest as they came away with the 91-85 victory.

THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Four Golden Eagles reached double-figures led by Nix's game-best 24 points. 

Western Illinois: Anna Deets led WIU with 20 points and Alissa Dins pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with 17 points for a double-double.
                                                                                                                                                 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Golden Eagles struggled from the field as they shot 38.2 percent for the game.
- ORU matched a season-high with 12 made threes in the contest.
- On the glass, the Golden Eagles were outrebounded, 48-42.
- ORU dished out 18 assists on the afternoon, led by Cooper's career-high 11.
- The Golden Eagles scored 22 second-chance points.
- Nix's seven three-pointers were a career-high for the senior.
- Sara Rodrigues recorded a game-high tying three steals.
- In the contest, there were 16 lead changes and 11 ties.

GAME NOTES
- Saturday's matchup marked the 56th meeting all-time between ORU and WIU.
- Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles still lead the all-time series, 31-24.
- Nix totaled 20-plus points for the fifth time in her career.
- Cooper reached double-figures for the 20th straight game and 32nd time in her career.
- The senior's double-double was her second of the season and career.
- Ramey totaled double-figures for the third time this season and logged the first double-double of her Golden Eagle career. 

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action on February 16 as they travel to face North Dakota at 7 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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