The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 67 – Missouri State 72
Record: ORU (2-6) – MSU (5-3)
Location: Mabee Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team fell 72-67 to the Missouri State Bears Sunday afternoon in the Mabee Center.
 
ORU came out to a hot start, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from three before the first media timeout. After the first 20 minutes of play, the Golden Eagles were shooting 52.0% from the floor and 58.3% from long distance. ORU was up nine at halftime, but the Bears mounted a second-half comeback powered by Dez White. White scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half alone as the Golden Eagles struggled to contain him and the MSU offense once he got hot. A 10-0 MSU run in the second half flipped the script of the game and propelled the Bears past ORU.
 
Box Score Highlights
Oral Roberts Individuals: Issac McBride 20 points, 4-7 3PT, 6-6 FT; Sam Alajiki 16 points, 6 rebounds; Josh Jones 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists.
 
Missouri State Individuals: Dez White 18 points, 5 assists; Zaxton King 12 points, 2-2 3PT; Michael Osei-Bonsu 10 rebounds, 9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals.
 
Key Team Stats
ORU shot 44.9 percent (22-49) from the floor and 36.8 (7-19) from three. The Golden Eagles were outrebounded 32-20. ORU forced 17 MSU turnovers and scored 23 points from those turnovers. The Golden Eagles scored 30 points in the paint and dished out 13 assists on the night.
 
Turning Point
Between the 15:36 and the 13:59 minute mark of the second half, Missouri State went on a 10-0 run that brought itself from down 10 points to tied in just 97 seconds. White capped off the run with back-to-back deep triples. From that point on, the Bears flipped the momentum of the game and didn't look back. Missouri State executed down the stretch as ORU had to play the foul game. They left with a 72-67 win over the Golden Eagles.
 
Key Stats & Notes

• Three Golden Eagles reached double digits tonight.
• Josh Jones scored double-digit points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
• Freshman Luke Gray recorded career-highs in minutes (14), points (9), field goals made (2), free throws made (5), and assists (2).
• McBride scored his 1500^th point in an ORU uniform. He becomes the 12^th player in program history to achieve this milestone.
• With 1,515 points, McBride is now 11^th all-time in scoring at ORU, passing Haywoode Workman (1986-89).
• ORU is now 10-12 all-time against the Bears.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will play Northern Arizona on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Mabee Center as part of the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge.
 
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.