THE BASICS
Score: Oral Roberts 70 – St. Thomas 75
Records: ORU (11-13, 8-5); St. Thomas (9-15, 4-10)
Location: Mabee Center – Tulsa, Okla.
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Thursday evening as they fell to St. Thomas, 75-70, inside the Mabee Center.
Hannah Cooper led all scorers with 21 points and finished 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. The 20-plus point performance was Cooper's fourth straight and 12th of the season. Junior Ruthie Udoumoh followed with 17 points and finished a rebound shy of a double-double.
Forward Tirzah Moore logged her fifth straight double-double after totaling 12 points and 13 rebounds. For Moore, the double-double was her Summit League-leading 14th of the season.
Ariel Walker rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Golden Eagles as the senior poured in 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
The Golden Eagles raced out to a 13-4 start in the opening 3:44 behind four points apiece from Moore and Udoumoh. Jo Langbehn put an end to the run with a layup and sparked a 14-2 stretch for the Tommies as they jumped in front 18-15 at the 3:05 mark. Following a three from Maggie Negaard with 1:25 left on the clock, ORU closed the quarter on a 7-0 run as they regained the lead, 27-23. Udoumoh sparked the run with a three and Cooper added the final four points from the charity stripe.
Despite St. Thomas holding a slight 14-12 edge on the scoreboard in the second, the Golden Eagles headed to the break with a 39-37 advantage. Moore and Walker combined for nine of ORU's 12 points in the quarter. Defensively, the Golden Eagles held St. Thomas to 27.8 percent shooting in the period.
After the Tommies evened the score, 39-39, out of the break, Udoumoh responded with five straight points as the Golden Eagles led 44-39 at the 6:26 mark. Following a Sara Rodrigues layup that put ORU up 50-46 with 2:24 remaining in the third, St. Thomas answered with a 9-2 run to close the quarter as they led 55-52. In the third, the Golden Eagles struggled from the field as they shot 33.3 percent.
A quick 5-0 spurt gave the Tommies their largest lead of the contest, 65-57, with 7:03 left in the fourth. Back-to-back baskets by ORU trimmed the deficit to four, 65-61, at the 4:24 mark. After St. Thomas extended their lead back to seven, 72-65, ORU scored five of the next six points to draw within three, 73-70, as :21 ticks remained in the contest. The Tommies went on to make two of their final four attempts from the foul line as ORU fell 75-70.
THE LEADERS
Oral Roberts: Four Golden Eagles reached double-figures led by Cooper's game-high 21. Moore pulled down a game-best 13 rebounds and added 12 points for a double-double.
St. Thomas: Jo Langbehn led four Tommies in double-digits after finishing with 19 points.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Golden Eagles shot 40.3 percent from the field in the contest.
- From behind the arc, ORU struggled as they finished 2-of-11.
- At the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles were 18-of-22.
- On the glass, ORU was outrebounded, 42-36.
- The Golden Eagles totaled 11 second-chance points.
- Cooper and Walker led ORU with two assists each.
- Walker and Rodrigues recorded two steals apiece to lead ORU.
GAME NOTES
- With the loss, the all-time series between ORU and St. Thomas is even at 2-2.
- Cooper led the Golden Eagles in scoring for the fourth straight game and the 15th time this season.
- The senior's double-digit performance was her 23rd of the season and 19th straight.
- Moore's double-double was the 17th of her career.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles close out their three-game homestand against Western Illinois Saturday, February 11 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.