The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 74 – North Texas 73
Record: ORU (6-6), (0-0) – UNT (6-5), (0-0)
Location: Super Pit (Denton, Tex.)
DENTON, TX – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team rallied from a 23-point third-quarter deficit to defeat North Texas, 74-73, on Thursday evening at the Super Pit.
The Golden Eagles had two players score in double figures, led by Kayten Donley and Anna Trusty with 17 points apiece. Donley added eight rebounds, three steals, and a game-high three blocks, while Trusty chipped in three steals. Alana Shetlar finished with eight points, and Ari Gordon added seven points and three steals.
Oral Roberts forced 22 North Texas turnovers while committing 19 of its own, converting those takeaways into 21 points. Donley led ORU with three steals.
ORU struggled out of the gate, trailing 24-13 at the end of the first quarter. The Golden Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 43-26 deficit at halftime.
North Texas extended its advantage to 23 points just over a minute into the third quarter, but ORU responded by trimming the margin to 51-35 before using a 12-0 run– punctuated by a Donley basket– to cut the deficit to 51-47 with 1:57 remaining in the period. The Mean Green answered to take a 59-49 lead into the fourth quarter. Oral Roberts scored 16 of its 23 points in the paint during the third.
The Golden Eagles pulled within 68-64 before going on an 8-0 run, capped by a Trusty layup, to take a 72-68 lead with 1:57 remaining. North Texas responded by tying the game at 72 on a jumper inside the arc, then took a one-point lead at the free-throw line with three seconds left. After timeouts on both ends, Donley was fouled with one second remaining and calmly sank both free throws to secure the 74-73 victory. ORU scored nine points off four UNT turnovers in the final quarter.
The Leaders
Oral Roberts: Trusty and Donley led the team tallying 17 points each, with Donley's three blocks being a game-high.
North Texas: Megan Nestor led the Mean Green with a double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds.
Inside the Box Score
The Golden Eagles shot well from three-point range, knocking down seven of 15 long range attempts.
The Oral Roberts bench came alive by scoring 27 points to its scoring output.
The Oral Roberts defense forced 22 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying six blocks as a team.
Kayten Donley and Anna Trusty led the Golden Eagles with a game-high 17 points apiece.
Oral Roberts got a team-high eight rebounds from Kayten Donley.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to the Mabee Center to face Oklahoma Wesleyan on Monday, December 29, at 7 p.m.
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.
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