North Dakota State Athletics
11-10, 6-5
Oral Roberts
15-7, 9-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 42 | 33 | 75 |
| Oral Roberts | 30 | 51 | 81 |
Oral Roberts Closes Strong Down Stretch to Rally Past North Dakota State 81-75
2/1/2010 10:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TULSA, Okla.--Oral Roberts University closed out with a 21-2 run over the final five minutes as the Golden Eagles defeated North Dakota State 81-75 in a Summit League women's basketball game played Monday, Feb. 1, before an announced crowd 1,064 in the Mabee Center.
North Dakota State (11-10, 6-5 Summit) is scheduled to host Southern Utah (6-15, 4-6 Summit) at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in Bison Sports Arena. UMKC defeated the Thunderbirds 74-64 on Jan. 30, in Cedar City. NDSU will be participating in the WBCA's Pink Zone breast cancer awareness nationwide event.
Oral Roberts (15-7, 9-2 Summit) extended its current winning streak to six games and holds a half-game lead over UMKC in the Summit League standings.
Ashley Samuelson hit a free throw line jumper with 5:32 remaining to put the Bison ahead 73-60. Samuelson, who hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts, led the Bison with 19 points and 13 rebounds to record her fifth career double-double. She led a group of three NDSU players in double figures.
However, Jaci Bigham ignited the Oral Roberts comeback with 15 of her 23 second half points. Bigham dropped in a game-high 28 points. She hit 7 of 16 field goals including 5 of 11 three-pointers and all nine free throw attempts.
Kevi Luper scored 23 points including drive that put the Golden Eagles ahead 74-73 with 2:26 left. On the next possession, Luper recorded a steal and layup to extend the lead to 76-73. Jordan Pyle added 12 points.
Oral Roberts made 53.1 percent from the field in the second half and finished 43.8 percent for the game compared to 42.9 percent for the Bison. ORU took advantage of 30 NDSU turnovers that turned into 39 points. The Golden Eagles had 21 miscues.
North Dakota State led 42-30 at halftime and by 17 points with 11:26 left in the second half. Inger Hodgson scored 15 of her 19 points in the first half, while Katie Birkel finished with 10 points.
The Bison hit a season-high 9 of 20 three-pointers and held a 42-35 rebounding advantage. Janae Burich had a career-high eight rebounds and matched a career best with five blocked shots.
North Dakota State hit 18 of 25 from the foul line compared to 18 of 27 for Oral Roberts.
