DENVER - The University of Denver men's basketball team never went away in one of the best games all year in college basketball against one of its best scorers, falling 89-80 to Oral Roberts on Saturday in Hamilton Gymnasium. The Pioneers continued to show brighter days are ahead, getting a combined 46 points from the freshmen duo of Coban Porter (26) and Tevin Smith (20).

Inside the Box Score:
- Porter's 26 points were a new career high along with knocking down seven 3s. The Columbia, Mo. native's points were the most by a Pioneer freshman since Feb. 26, 2009. 
- Tevin Smith had 20 points, giving him his fourth straight game in double figures.  
- Jordan Johnson, only a sophomore, had 18 points, with 12 coming from beyond the arc.
- ORU's Max Abmas, the nation's second-leading scorer, finished with a game-high 28 points.

Significant Stats:
- Denver tied a season high with 12 3s.
- The Golden Eagles get the season sweep with the victory.
- The Pioneers have now scored at least 80 four times this season.
- DU has now made at least 10 3s in three of its last five games.

Turning Point:
A four-point play from Trey Phipps at the 2:14 mark in the second half, making the score go from 76-74 to 80-74 in favor of ORU.

As it Happened:
 
First Half:
Oral Roberts got out to a fast start behind a hot-shooting Abmas. The Golden Eagles went up 16-10 early, but Denver hung around thanks to the play of Johnson, who scored eight of the Pioneers' first 10 points. ORU pushed its lead to double digits at 20-10 after a layup from Elijah Lufile. Denver got back to within seven after two quicks 3s from Porter. The Pioneers continued to really dial it up on both ends of the floor, fighting its way back to tie it at 40-40 after a converted and-1 from KJ Hunt. Oral Roberts got a late basket to take a one-point lead into the break, 42-41.

Second Half:
The Crimson and Gold continued to show its fight, taking its first lead of the day at 46-45 after Smith connected on both free throws. Oral Roberts got some points in post to push its advantage to four at 61-57 with 11:35 left on the clock. Some key baskets from Abmas gave the Golden Eagles a little bit separation, going up 71-62 with just over seven minutes left in play. Again, though, the Pioneers didn't go away, closing the gap to within two after a big 3 from Johnson made it 76-74. The Golden Eagles got the dagger right after that, getting a rare four-point play from Phipps with 2:14 left to go up four.  Denver couldn't get any closer than that and was forced to foul late, but ORU made their shots at the line, securing the win.

Up Next:
Denver (8-16, 4-7 SL) hits the road for a meeting with North Dakota on Thursday. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. MT.
 
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