The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 91 – Grambling State 93
Record: ORU (21-11), (11-5) – Grambling State (23-9), (15-3)
Location: Mabee Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team's record-breaking 2023-24 season came to an end Thursday night in the first round of the WNIT as Grambling State came away with a, 93-91, victory.

Ruthie Udoumoh led five Golden Eagles inn double-digits with her 14th double-double of the season scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Taleyah Jones scored 22 points tonight, her 13th time reaching the 20-point mark this year. Hannah Cooper added 15 points and dished out a season-high eight assists to cap off her sensational Golden Eagle career. Jalei Oglesby (12) and Makyra Tramble (11) both reached double-figures off the bench providing a scoring spark throughout the game.

The first quarter was a preview for the rest of the game as both teams stayed neck-and-neck during the opening minutes. Four different Golden Eagles scored before the first media timeout as both programs were tied 13-13 at the first stoppage. The Tigers went ahead by three before ORU closed the final three minutes of the first quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 22-20 lead into the break.

Makyra Tramble drained back-to-back three pointers to open the second quarter forcing a GSU timeout with 7:33 to go. A pair of free throws by Tramble and a layup in the paint from Hannah Cooper pushed ORU's lead to 12, its' largest of the game. The Tigers responded with a run of their own outscoring the Golden Eagles 10-4 over the next 104 seconds. GSU continued to bite into the lead for the remainder of the half, going into the break down 47-41.

The Tigers took their first lead of the game since the first quarter with 6:35 to go in the third after a Douthsine Prien layup in the paint. Ruthie Udoumoh responded by converting on a fastbreak layup to reclaim the lead for ORU. The final five minutes of the third period stayed tight as neither team got more than four points away from each other. Both squads went into the final quarter knotted at 67 apiece.

Prien drove straight to the basket for a layup to open the fourth quarter before Jalei Oglesby went right back at the Tiger defense with a layup of her own. No team got in front by more than two possessions during the entire last quarter resulting in the crowd of more than 2,500 fans on the edge of their seats. Down two with under two minutes remaining, Udoumoh converted on a layup plus the foul off the find by Oglesby. Free throw shooting plagued the Golden Eagles as they missed three attempts in the final 90 seconds. Down one with 22 seconds remaining, Kahia Warmsley found Jazmyne Jackson off a broken play where she hit her fourth three of the night to put GSU on top by two. ORU was unable to convert on the other end and the Tigers iced the game away with a pair of free throw to come away with a 93-91 win.

The Leaders
 
Oral Roberts: Udoumoh tied game-highs in scoring and rebounding with a 22 point and 13 rebound outing. Cooper dished out a game and season-high eight assists.
 
Grambling State: Jazmyne Jackson scored 21 points off the bench, Amanda Blake secured 13 rebounds, and Douthsine Prien recorded six assists.

Inside the Box Score

• Udoumoh (22), Jones (22), Cooper (15), Oglesby (12), and Tramble (11) all finished in double-digits for ORU.
• ORU recorded nine steals and forced 15 Tiger turnovers.
• Three players registered two or more steals for ORU.
• The Golden Eagles knocked down six three pointers.
• ORU pulled down 37 rebounds today, grabbing 18 offensive and 19 defensive boards.
• The Golden Eagles outscored GSU 22-9 in second chance points.
• Grambling State outscored ORU 26-9 in fast break points.
• Both programs scored 52 points in the paint.
• Tonight's matchup saw 16 lead changes.
• The Mabee Center saw more than 2,500 fans cheer on the Golden Eagles in the final home game of the 2023-24 season. 

For the latest information on ORU women's basketball, follow @ORUWBB on X 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.