Nzekwesi's double-double leads Oral Roberts past Omaha 93-74

Dec 31, 2017, 02:18 pm

TULSA, Okla. -- Emmanuel Nzekwesi scored 21 and grabbed 11 rebounds and R.J. Fuqua added 17 points and eight assists to send Oral Roberts to a 93-74 victory over Omaha in a Summit League opener on Saturday night.

Sam Kearns finished with 16 points and five assists for the Golden Eagles (5-11), while Jontray Harris scored 12 and Javan White snagged 12 rebounds to go with nine points.

Daniel Norl paced the Mavericks (4-12) with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting with seven assists and three steals. Zach Jackson chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Renard Suggs hit four 3-pointers and scored 14.

Suggs' 3-pointer gave Omaha a 15-14 lead midway through the first half, but Kearns buried a 3 to spark a 13-0 run and Oral Roberts never trailed again. Norl's layup cut the Mavericks' deficit to 33-29, but Fuqua's 3-pointer capped a 17-5 spurt and the Golden Eagles led 50-34 at intermission. Omaha got no closer than 14 in the second half.

Oral Roberts held the Mavericks to 38-percent shooting for the game, including 31 percent from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles hit half of their 22 3-pointers and shot 48 percent from the floor.