The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 57 – Minnesota 80
Record: ORU (0-1) – UofM (1-0)
Location: Williams Arena (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
 
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team suffered an 80-57 setback in their season opener at Minnesota on Wednesday night in Williams Arena.
 
ORU begins the year 0-1, while Minnesota improves to 1-0. Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Issac McBride paced the Golden Eagles with 15 points. McBride added three rebounds and two steals. Drake transfer Carlos Rosario impressed in his ORU debut with 12 points and two steals on 50 percent shooting. Newcomer Sam Alajiki finished with a team-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points. Sophomore big man Josh Jones secured a career-high seven rebounds, all of which came in the first half.
 
Box Score Highlights
Oral Roberts Individuals: Issac McBride 15 points, 2-3 3FG, 5-5 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Carlos Rosario 12 points, 4-8 FG, 2 steals; Sam Alajiki 8 rebounds, 7 points, 1 block; Josh Jones 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block.
 
Minnesota Individuals: Dawson Garcia 30 points, 11-14 FG, 4-5 3FG, 8 rebounds, 4-4 FT; Parker Fox 13 points, 6-6 FG, 2 rebounds; Lu'cye Patterson 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2-2 3FG.
 
Key Team Stats
ORU shot 34.5 percent (20-58) from the floor and 30.4 percent (7-23) from deep. On the other hand, the Golden Gophers shot a blistering 57.7 percent (30-52) from the field and torched from three shooting 61.1 percent (11-18). The Golden Eagles narrowly won the rebounding battle 33-32, but UofM outscored ORU 36-26 in points in the paint. The Golden Eagles hit 10-11 shots (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe. Minnesota tallied 25 assists on 30 made field goals.
 
Turning Point
Minnesota started the game on fire and never looked back. Garcia scored 16 points before the second media timeout, draining three three-pointers. The Golden Gophers used Garcia's hot start to jumpstart their offense and found themselves up 25-8 before the under-eight. After building a quick 20-point lead in the opening minutes of play, Minnesota was able to hold the Golden Eagles at bay for the remainder of the game.
 
Key Stats & Notes

• Seven Golden Eagles made their debut in tonight's game. Rosario, Alajiki, Darius Robinson Jr., and Jackson Skipper all scored their first points as members of the Gold and Blue.
• ORU falls to 0-4 in games played on November 6.
• Graduate student Issac McBride played a team-high 34:38 minutes. McBride led the entire country in minutes per game last season.
• Rosario and Alajiki made their first starts as Golden Eagles.
• ORU is 0-5 all-time against the Golden Gophers.
• McBride has now scored 10+ points in three straight games going back to the 2023-24 season.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will host Ozark Christian in their 2024-25 home opener on Friday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Mabee Center for Homecoming Weekend.
 
For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.