The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 56 – Sacramento State 51
Record: ORU (11-4), (2-0) – Sacramento State (1-12), (0-2)
Location: The Nest (Sacramento, California)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Oral Roberts women's basketball team earned their second victory of the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge after defeating Sacramento State, 56-51, Saturday afternoon inside The Nest.

After securing their 11th win of the year, the Golden Eagles have now matched their regular season win total from last season.

Taleyah Jones led the way for the Golden Eagles scoring 18 points and racking up a career-high six steals. Senior Ruthie Udoumoh secured her seventh double-double of the season after scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Guard Hannah Cooper pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds and added nine points, four assists, and four steals.

The Golden Eagles struggled from the floor to open the first quarter. Emily Robinson opened the scoring with a fast break layup. Sacramento State then put strung together a 7-2 run to lead by three points at the first media timeout. With 2:29 remaining in the quarter, Jones drained her first three of the game at the top of the key. After 10 minutes of play, Sacramento State led 12-9.

To open the second quarter, ORU amped up its intensity on both ends of the floor. Jalei Oglesby opened the scoring hitting a jumper outside the paint. A free throw and layup by Udoumoh made it a 5-0 Golden Eagle run before the Hornets stopped the run with a layup. Both teams went back-and-forth scoring baskets over the next several minutes. With 74 seconds remaining in the half, Jones and Gentry Baldwin knocked down back-to-back threes to give ORU a 29-27 lead at the break.

ORU faced more shooting struggles during the third quarter scoring just eight points in the period. Jones knocked down a pullup jumper at the 7:28 mark for the Golden Eagles' first points of the quarter. The Hornets led 37-33 at the media timeout. ORU's continuous effort on defense helped keep Sacramento State's offense from pulling away. The Hornets led 39-37 after the third quarter.

The Golden Eagles shook off their third quarter shooting struggles and ramped up the pressure on offense. From the beginning of the fourth quarter to the 4:17 minute mark, ORU put together a 14-3 run to take a 51-42 lead. Udoumoh and Cooper led the charge scoring 12 of the 14 points during the run. The Hornets hit back-to-back baskets to draw within four, but a layup by Jones calmed the run. With 1:45 left, Baldwin knocked down her third three of the game to stretch the ORU lead back to nine. The Golden Eagles held onto their lead for the final minutes and came away with the 56-51 victory.

The Leaders
 
Oral Roberts: Jones scored a game-high 18 points while adding a career-high six steals. Udoumoh recorded her seventh double-double of the season with a 12 point and 12 rebound performance.
 
Northern Colorado: Irune Orio and Summah Hanson each scored 14 points for the Hornets. Benthe Versteeg led the way with a game-high nine assists.

Inside the Box Score

• ORU's full court pressure forced the Hornets into committing 28 turnovers.
• Off of those turnovers, the Golden Eagles collected a season-high 19 steals.
• ORU scored 27 points off of turnovers compared to Sacramento State's 15.
• The Golden Eagles outrebounded their opponent 43-40 with 21 of their rebounds coming off the offensive glass.
• With tonight's win, ORU went a perfect 2-0 in the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge.
• Udoumoh posted a game-high +11 plus/minus rating.
• ORU played stout defense all night and didn't allow a single free throw attempt to the Hornets.

Up Next
 
The Golden Eagles resume Summit League play on Thursday, January 11 as they travel to Vermillion and face the South Dakota Coyotes at 7:00 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.