The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 70 – South Dakota State 84
Record: ORU (5-13), (1-4) – SDSU (12-8), (3-2)
Location: First Bank & Trust Arena (Brookings, South Dakota)
 
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team fell, 84-70, to Oscar Cluff and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Saturday afternoon in First Bank & Trust Arena.
 
It was a game of runs in the opening minutes of the first half. SDSU began the game on a 9-0 run and took an early lead. Down 11-4 at the 16:16 mark, ORU responded and blitzed the Jackrabbits with a 10-0 run of its own. Four different players scored for the Golden Eagles during the run. After ORU took a 14-11 lead, SDSU threw another punch and went on an 11-2 run behind a couple of baskets from big man Oscar Cluff. A tightly contested first half ended with SDSU up 41-35 after the first 20 minutes.
 
The Jackrabbits opened the second half on a 9-3 run, giving the home team a double-digit lead. ORU found itself down by as many as 15 points, but McBride and JoJo Moore willed the Golden Eagles back within eight with 1:59 to play. The following possession, Cluff drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws for SDSU. ORU came up empty on its next offensive trip down the floor and was forced to foul the Jackrabbits for the remainder of the game. SDSU connected on all of its free throws in the final minute and came away with the 84-70 win over the Golden Eagles.
 
Box Score Highlights
Oral Roberts Individuals: Issac McBride 26 points, 4-8 3PT; JoJo Moore 15 points, 7 rebounds; Jackson Skipper 13 points, 2 assists; Jalen Miller 15 points, 2 assists.
 
South Dakota State Individuals: Oscar Cluff 21 points, 20 rebounds; Joe Sayler 17 points, 4 assists.
 
Key Team Stats
ORU shot 37.7 percent (23-61) from the floor, 31.0 percent (9-29) from three, and 75.0 percent (15-20) from the free throw line. ORU forced 10 SDSU turnovers and had nine of its own. The Golden Eagles were outrebounded 44-32, but ORU recorded 14 second-chance points to the Jackrabbit's eight. SDSU recorded 15 assists while the Golden Eagles dished out nine.
 
Key Turning Point
SDSU's 9-3 run in the opening 3:03 of the second half helped the Jackrabbits breakthrough to a double-digit lead for the first time in the game.
 
Key Stats & Notes

• With 26 points tonight, McBride has now eclipsed the 20+ point mark in four consecutive games and eight times total this season.
• Freshman JoJo Moore tallied his sixth-straight game of scoring 10+ points with a 15-point outing tonight.
• Senior Jalen Miller scored a career-high 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
• ORU falls to 0-10 on the road this year.
• McBride is now up to 1,741 points in his ORU career.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles are back home next week, hosting Denver on Thursday, January 23 and Omaha on Saturday, January 25.
 
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.