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James Madison vs. ORU


theeagleman5

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Nice win! I trust this will pick up their heads. They are young and inexperienced at D1 level. They have talent and just need to win a few games for encouragement.

 

Clutch Free Throws Push ORU to 78-69 Overtime Win Over James Madison

Final 1 2 OT T
JAMES MADISON 20 43 6 69
ORAL ROBERTS 29 34 15 78
Clutch Free Throws Push ORU to 78-69 Overtime Win Over James Madison
Nov 25, 2018
 

Box Score (PDF) | Photos  Season Stats  |  2018-19 Schedule  |  Tickets

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 78 – James Madison 69
Record: ORU (3-6) – JMU (5-3)
Location: Rochester, Mich. (Athletics Center O'rena)

ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oral Roberts men's basketball team went 11-12 from the free throw line in overtime, including a perfect 6-6 mark from Kevin Obanor, as the Golden Eagles topped James Madison 78-69 Sunday afternoon in the final game of the Men Against Breast Cancer Oakland Hoops Challenge.

Obanor grabbed four rebounds, including two offensive boards, in the overtime period alone and led ORU with 13 rebounds for the game. The freshman added 14 points for his first double-double of the season. Emmanuel Nzekwesi earned a double-double for the second game in a row after scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

James Madison got 21 points from Matt Lewis, 19 points from Stuckey Mosley and 12 points from Darius Banks, as the trio combined to go 22-22 from the free throw line for the Dukes.

JMU has one of the top rebounders in the country, but it was ORU who did work on the glass, Sunday, out-rebounding the Dukes 42-28, limiting JMU to six offensive rebounds while grabbing 13 offensive boards of their own.

Quote of the Game
"We did a really good job rebounding. I loved how dialed in everyone was. Every game, win or lose, is a learning experience, but it is much better to learn after a win. Our energy was better but there are still some things that we need to tighten up." – Coach Paul Mills

Turning Point
Obanor scored the first four points of the overtime period after grabbing two of his four rebounds in the extra period. After that, JMU was never closer than two points as the Golden Eagles went 11-12 from the free throw line to secure the win.

Individual Leaders
Oral Roberts: Nzekwesi led the offense with 22 points, while Obanor's work in overtime gave him the team lead in rebounds with 13. Sam Kearns had a team high four assists.
James Madison: Lewis scored 21 points, 11 of which came from a perfect 11-11 effort at the free throw line, while Zach Jacobs grabbed a team best seven rebounds. Lewis had five steals in the game.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU shot 42 percent (23-54) from the field, 35 percent (6-17) from 3-point range and 26-32 (81 percent) from the free throw line.

- The Golden Eagles were 11-12 from the free throw line in overtime to earn the victory.

- JMU shot 35 percent (19-53) from the field, 22 percent (4-18) from 3-point range and 84 percent (27-32) from the free throw line, including a perfect 23-23 mark in the second half to force the overtime period.

- ORU dominated the glass with a 42-28 rebounding advantage that translated into a 16-9 advantage in second chance points.

News and Notes
- Nzekwesi was named to the All-Tournament team at the 2018 Men Against Breast Cancer Oakland Hoops Challenge after posting back-to-back double-doubles to finish the tournament.  

- ORU played its first overtime game of the season and is now 39-43 all-time in games that extend beyond regulation.

- Obanor and Nzekewsi each recorded the double-double on Sunday marking the first time ORU has had two double-doubles in the same game since Javan White (11/12) and Nzekwesi (21/10) did so against Western Illinois January 6, 2018.

- ORU's 26 made free throws on 32 attempts were both the most of the season, while the 81 percent from the free throw line was the best percentage of the year, and just the second time over 70 percent this year.

- The 20 points given up in the first half were the fewest since allowing 18 in the opening half against Little Rock on December 2, 2017.

- ORU led at halftime for the second game in a row and the fourth time this season and has gone 3-1 in those games.

All-Tournament Team
Emmanuel Nzekwesi, Oral Roberts
Stuckey Mosley, James Madison
Eugene German, Northern Illinois
Levi Bradley, Northern Illinois 
Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland 
MVP: Xavier Hill-Mais, Oakland

Up Next
With nine games already in the books, the Golden Eagles will have a week off before traveling to SMU December 2.   

For the latest information on ORU men's basketball, follow @ORUMBB on Twitter or Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics Front Row App at ORUAthletics.com/frontrow  or the ORU Golden Eagles Live App in iTunes or the Google Play Store. For tickets, visit mabeecenter.com or call 495-7ORU (7678).

---#GoldenStandard---

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TheEagleman is really surprised that ORU was able to beat James Madison which appeared to be the best team in the tournament coming in.....despite the late 2nd half meltdown, the Good Guys showed some character by recovering to win in OT and that can't be understated.....now a well deserved week off to rest and practice and perhaps we can win a couple more in December.....Congrats to Coach Mills and the boys.....Go Blue!!!  :shield-logo:…..PS....oh...surprised that Northern Illinois crushed Oakland this afternoon by 20.....our loss to NIU is more understandable....😮

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Mills said in the postgame he was pleased with the team's response heading into overtime. He said last year the team seemed discouraged when facing overtime but took today as an opportunity to prove themselves.

They could have folded after the JMU run to close out regulation... great win and something to look back on during the course of the season - have to keep fighting for every win. Does anybody ( @Old Titan ) know when the last ORU win in overtime was? It feels like there hasn't been very good track record recently.

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ORU actually won two overtime games last season, a 67-66 buzzer beater over NDSU on February 8 and a 74-66 double overtime road win at UALR on December 2. 

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