National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 77, Oral Roberts 63
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 21, 2017
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: # D.J. Carstensen, # Rob Kueneman, # Mike Eades
Attendance: 11234

Jordan Murphy scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Minnesota turn back Oral Roberts 77-63 on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Oral Roberts kept it close throughout the first half and trailed 41-40 two minutes into the second before Minnesota took over.

The Golden Gophers (10-3) went on a 23-4 run capped by a 3-pointer from Nate Mason that gave them a 64-44 lead with 9:09 to go.

Minnesota had a 17-6 advantage on points off turnovers and outscored Oral Roberts 23-8 from the free-throw line.

Amir Coffey had 15 points, making 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, and Mason scored 14 for Minnesota. Michael Hurt contributed 10 points.

Chris Miller scored a career-high 18 points, and Emmanuel Nzekwesi added 10 points and 15 rebounds for Oral Roberts (4-11). R.J. Fuqua also scored 10 points for the visitors.

Albert Owens, the Golden Eagles' leading scorer, played just nine minutes and finished with four points.

Both teams went cold -- each was 1 of 9 -- in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half that ended with the Gophers leading 38-34.

The teams traded early runs.

Minnesota scored eight consecutive points to take a 15-8 lead before Oral Roberts responded with 10 in a row.

Miller gave the Golden Eagles an 18-15 lead nine minutes into the game.

Oral Roberts extended its run to 16-4 when Fuqua gave the Golden Eagles a 24-19 lead on a jumper with 9:03 to go in the first half.

The Golden Gophers host Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Oral Roberts is off until hosting Omaha on Dec. 30.
Top Game Performances
 
Oral Roberts   Minnesota
Chris Miller 18 Scoring Jordan Murphy 17
Sam Kearns 5 Assists Amir Coffey 7
Emmanuel Nzekwesi 15 Rebounds Jordan Murphy 10
R.J. Fuqua 4 Free Throws Made Amir Coffey 9
R.J. Fuqua 1 Steals Amir Coffey 2
Albert Owens 2 Blocks Reggie Lynch 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oral Roberts 63 39.4 3-16 8-12 15 39 4 5 14
Minnesota 77 38.1 6-19 23-28 17 36 7 8 9