The Basics
Score: No. 3 Oral Roberts 80, No. 6 Western Illinois 68
Records: Oral Roberts (19-11), Western Illinois (16-15)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 3 Oral Roberts held off a second half surge from No. 6 Western Illinois to advance to the Summit League Men's Championship semifinals with an 80-68 win on Sunday night.
The Golden Eagles were powered by Elijah Lufile, who notched his team-leading sixth double double of the season (18 points, 14 rebounds), and Max Abmas, who scored a team-high 22 points. Lufile, who has five of those double-doubles in ORU's last seven games, helped his squad get off to a fast start by generating a bevy of second-chance opportunities early in the contest.
His efforts on the offensive glass helped the Golden Eagles notch 32 points in the paint before halftime and lead by as many as 14 before the break.
“I thought Eli’s presence on offensive rebounding did a great job,” Paul Mills said of his team’s first half performance. “Eli was able to retrieve [the ball] and finish and it helped us in our start because we didn’t shoot the ball very well.”
The Leathernecks were led by a game-high 28 points from Trenton Massner. The all-league first team selection drew back some momentum just before halftime, hitting a three to cut the deficit to 41-31 as the game threatened to get away from WIU.
ORU would take a 12-point advantage into the break, but the Leathernecks would quickly put the game back in the balance. Will Carius capped off an 8-0 run with a basket that cut the deficit to four points with 15:34 remaining. Massner would then make it a 48-46 game with a stepback three two minutes later.
The Leathernecks, however, would never get closer.
DeShang Weaver (11 points) would hit three 3-pointers over a two-minute stretch that helped put the game out of reach. Lufile had multiple powerful dunks throughout the night that underscored a strong individual stretch to close the regular season.
“We just got into each other and said we’re going to keep this lead, whatever it takes,” Lufile said after the game.
The Golden Eagles will face No. 2 North Dakota State on Monday at 8:30 pm CT.
Turning Point
Weaver’s three-point outburst midway through the second half helped put the clamps on a Leathernecks team that came out of the break on fire. WIU would continue to eat into the lead, but Weaver’s stretch helped put the game out of reach.
Inside the Box Score
- Massner did not leave the floor the entire game, logging 40 minutes or more for the ninth time since Summit League play began. The 28-point outing was his team-leading ninth 20-plus point effort of the season.
- Led by Lufile, the Golden Eagles outscored WIU in the paint 44-28 and held a 42-32 advantage on the glass.
- Tamell Pearson scored all of his 14 points in the first half, going 7-for-9 from the field.
News & Notes
- Abmas scored 20 points or more for the 17th time this season. No other Golden Eagle has more than two such games.
- Massner became the first Leatherneck to score 28 points or more in the month of March since Ceola Clark in 2013.
- ORU's semifinal matchup vs. NDSU is a rematch of the 2021 title game played at the Sanford Pentagon that the Golden Eagles won 75-72. The Bison won both the regular season matchups this season. That included a one-point win in Tulsa on Jan. 22 and an 18-point victory in Fargo on Feb. 17.
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