The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 70 – Kansas City 68
Record: ORU (14-13), (7-7) – KC (7-21), (4-11)
Location: Swinney Center (Kansas City, MO.)
KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Redshirt junior guard
Ari Gordon recorded a career-high 20 points to lead the Oral Roberts women's basketball team to a 70-68 win over Kansas City Saturday afternoon. With the result, the Golden Eagles move to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in Summit League play, sitting tied for fourth with St. Thomas.
Gordon shot 6-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Joining her in double figures was
Kayten Donley, who shot 4-of-9 overall and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc to total 10 points. The Golden Eagles were effective from deep, knocking down eight three-pointers on 19 attempts.
Donley led the team in rebounding with seven boards, closely followed by Gordon and
Gentry Baldwin with six apiece.
The Oral Roberts defense was disruptive throughout Saturday's game, forcing 14 Kansas City turnovers. Those takeaways resulted in 13 points on the offensive end. Gordon's two steals paced the Golden Eagles individually.
The game remained tight in the first quarter, with neither team going on a run larger than four points. Oglesby tied the score at 13 with a layup off a pass from Trusty, who had come up with a steal at midcourt.
Kansas City built a 21-18 advantage before Oral Roberts responded with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Oglesby, to take a 24-21 lead. The Roos answered back to tie the game at 35-35 heading into halftime. ORU knocked down three three-pointers in the period, accounting for nine of its 20 points.
After the break, Oral Roberts grabbed a 40-37 lead before using a 7-0 run– including a three from Donley– to extend the advantage to 47-37 with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter. Kansas City trimmed the deficit, but the Golden Eagles entered the fourth quarter with a 55-51 edge. ORU again hit three shots from beyond the arc in the frame, scoring nine of its 20 third-quarter points from deep.
The Golden Eagles held on down the stretch in the fourth quarter. A bucket from Gordon with less than a minute remaining secured the 70-68 victory for ORU.
The Leaders
Oral Roberts: Ari Gordon led the Golden Eagles with a career-best 20 points, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-9 at the line.
Kayten Donley pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Kansas City: Tierra Trotter led the Roos with 10 points, while Zaire Harrell recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Inside the Box Score
- The Golden Eagles knocked down eight of 19 attempts from three-point range.
- Oral Roberts forced 14 turnovers.
- Ari Gordon scored a team-high 20 points.
- Kayten Donley grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles conclude Summit League play next week, traveling to Omaha for a 7 p.m. matchup Thursday before wrapping up the regular season at home Saturday, February 28 at 2 p.m. against St. Thomas.
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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