WNIT loss to Grambling ends historic season for ORU

TULSA — The Oral Roberts University women’s basketball team’s record-breaking 2023-24 season came to an end Thursday night in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament as Grambling State came away with a 93-91 victory.

Oglesby

Ruthie Udoumoh led five Golden Eagles inn double-digits with her 14th double-double of the season scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Taleyah Jones scored 22 points, her 13th time reaching the 20-point mark this year. Hannah Cooper added 15 points and dished out a season-high eight assists to cap off her sensational Golden Eagle career. Former Howe Lady Lion Jalei Oglesby (12 points) and Makyra Tramble (11 points) both reached double-figures off the bench providing a scoring spark throughout the game. The first quarter was a preview for the rest of the game as both teams stayed neck-and-neck during the opening minutes. Four different Golden Eagles scored before the first media timeout as both programs were tied 13-all at the first stoppage. The Tigers went ahead by three before ORU closed the final three minutes of the first quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 22-20 lead into the break.

Makyra Tramble drained back-to-back 3-point baskets to open the second quarter forcing a GSU timeout with 7:33 to go before halftime.

A pair of free throws by Tramble and a lay-up in the paint from Cooper pushed ORU’s lead to 12, its largest of the game.

The Tigers responded with a run of their own outscoring the Golden Eagles 10-4 over the next 104 seconds. GSU continued to bite into the lead for the remainder of the half, going into the break down 47-41.

The Tigers took their first lead of the game since the first quarter with 6:35 to go in the third after a Douthsine Prien lay-up in the paint.

Udoumoh responded by converting on a fast-break lay-up to reclaim the lead for ORU. The final five minutes of the third period stayed tight as neither team got more than four points away from each other. Both squads went into the final quarter knotted at 67 apiece.

Prien drove straight to the basket for a lay-up to open the fourth quarter before Oglesby went right back at the Tiger defense with a lay-up of her own. No team got in front by more than two possessions during the entire last quarter resulting in the crowd of more than 2,500 fans on the edge of their seats.

Down two with less than two minutes remaining, Udoumoh converted on a lay-up plus the foul off the find by Oglesby.

Free-throw shooting plagued the Golden Eagles as they missed three attempts in the final 90 seconds. Down one with 22 seconds remaining, Kahia Warmsley found Jazmyne Jackson off a broken play where she hit her fourth three of the night to put GSU on top by two.

ORU was unable to convert on the other end, and the Tigers iced the game away with a pair of free throws.