The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 71 – St. Thomas 86
Record: ORU (5-16), (1-7) – UST (17-6), (7-1)
Location: Schoenecker Arena (St. Paul, Minnesota)
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team fell, 86-71, to the St. Thomas Tommies Wednesday night in Schoenecker Arena.
 
The first 20 minutes saw back-and-forth action between the Golden Eagles and the Tommies. Luke Gray gave ORU its first lead of the game at the 15:37-minute mark after throwing down an emphatic and-one dunk. The freshman knocked down the ensuing free throw and the Golden Eagles led 9-8. A layup by Josh Jones with 11:17 left put ORU up 23-16, its largest lead of the half. St. Thomas, however, followed that layup up with a 10-0 run with five points from Carter Bjerke and five points from Miles Barnstable. The Tommies grew their lead out to six points with 40 seconds left in the half, but a basket by Issac McBride with 17 seconds remaining cut into the deficit, and ORU trailed by just four at the break.
 
From the 14:45 minute mark to the 10:34 mark of the second half, St. Thomas went on an 11-2 run that stretched its lead from six to 15. Four different Tommies made a field goal during the stretch. The Golden Eagles were able to capitalize on some baskets down the stretch, but St. Thomas responded to each one and maintained its lead. The Tommies defeated ORU by a final score of 86-71.
 
Box Score Highlights
Oral Roberts Individuals: Issac McBride 21 points, 3 assists; JoJo Moore 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists.
 
St. Thomas Individuals: Miles Barnstable 23 points, 8-14 FG, 2-4 3PT; Kendall Blue 13 points, 5 assists; Carter Bjerke 13 points, 3 rebounds.
 
Key Team Stats
ORU shot 51.0 percent (26-51) from the floor, 36.4 percent (8-22) from three, and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the free throw line. ORU had 13 turnovers, and the Tommies had just five. The Golden Eagles were outrebounded 31-23. St. Thomas won the points in the paint battle 56-28.
 
Key Turning Point
From the 14:45 minute mark to the 10:34 mark, St. Thomas went on an 11-2 run that stretched its lead from six to 15. The Tommies held onto their lead for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
 
Key Stats & Notes

• Issac McBride reached the 20-point mark for the 10th time this season.
• JoJo Moore surpassed double-digit scoring for the 11^th time this year.
• ORU falls to 1-7 in Summit League play this year.
• The Tommies have now captured the last three meetings against ORU.
• McBride is now up to 1,788 points in his ORU career.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles are back home in the Mabee Center this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against Kansas City.
 
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.