TULSA, Okla. – Junior forward Thomas Zorbas scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Oral Roberts men's basketball team to a 94-39 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday night in the home opener at the Mabee Center. The Golden Eagles improve to 1-1 on the young season.
Zorbas, a native of Athens, Greece, shot 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line in just over 13 minutes. He scored four points in the first half and added 13 in the second, when ORU stretched its lead to as many as 58 points. His 17 points came in only his second game as a Golden Eagle, after he scoring just one in the season opener at Central Arkansas.
ORU led from the opening minutes and scored 48 points in the first half, shooting 50 percent while holding NWOSU to 17 points on 20.7 percent shooting. Luke Gray added 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting with eight rebounds, and Cal Furnish had 10 assists to go with seven points and four rebounds. The Golden Eagles used an 18-0 run in the second half to push the lead past 50 and finished at 48.6 percent shooting overall. The Rangers shot 13-of-52 (25.0 percent).
ORU outrebounded Northwestern Oklahoma State 50-34, outscored the Rangers 44-14 in the paint and had 27 assists on 34 made field goals. The Golden Eagles forced 25 turnovers and scored 34 points off them. They also scored 20 fast-break points.
Game Notes:
- Zorbas scored 17 points in 13 minutes, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line, with three rebounds and a steal.
- Zorbas' 17 points were 13 more than his total at Central Arkansas, and the highest by any ORU player off the bench in the game.
- Gray scored a career high 23 points with eight rebounds, his second straight game with 20 or more points.
- Furnish handed out 10 assists, and ORU had 27 assists as a team.
- Amire Robinson had eight points and eight rebounds, and Boden Williams scored 10.
- The Golden Eagles forced 25 turnovers, scoring 34 points off them to the Rangers' five.
- Twelve of the 14 Golden Eagles who played scored.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles hit the road for the Mayor's Cup Rivalry Wednesday (Nov. 11) at Tulsa. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.
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