TULSA - The Golden Eagles look for their sixth consecutive Summit League victory against North Dakota State at 7:05 p.m. on Monday night at the Mabee Center. The contest will be broadcast live in the Tulsa area on KYAL 1550 AM, as well as on www.orugoldeneagles.com.

Scouting the Bison
North Dakota State is currently 11-9 overall and 6-4 in Summit League play, having escaped Centenary's upset bid with a six-point win over the Ladies in their last action on Saturday. The Bison won their first four league games before dropping four of the last six. Three players are scoring in double figures for North Dakota State, as Katie Birkel is averaging 10.8 points per game, followed by Inger Hodgson (10.7) and Ashley Samuelson (10.0). The Bison are averaging 61.3 points per game compared to their opponents' 59.4 mark per contest.

All-Time Results Versus North Dakota State
Monday's contest marks the seventh meeting between the two schools, as North Dakota State holds a 4-2 advantage over ORU. The Golden Eagles have dropped the last four contents against the Bison since winning the first two games in 2006 and 2007. ORU lost a heartbreaker in Fargo on Jan. 2 by a score of 68-66, after failing to score over the final 2:20 of the contest. Jaci Bigham led the Golden Eagles with 20 points in the loss, while Janae Voelker pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds.

Recapping the South Dakota State Game
Freshmen guards Kevi Luper and Jaci Bigham combined for 49 points as ORU posted an 86-75 victory over South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at the Mabee Center to remain in first place in Summit League play. Luper scored 30 points and pulled down eight rebounds to key ORU's sweep over last season's conference champions. The Adair, Okla., native went 10-of-23 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Bigham put up 19 points while dishing out four assists and swiping four steals. The McAlester, Okla., product was 7-of-16 from the field, including one 3-point bucket, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Jordan Pyle also put together an impressive performance with 14 points off 6-of-8 shooting from the field and six boards. The Golden Eagles swarmed the Jacks on the defensive side of the ball all afternoon, forcing 33 turnovers off 21 steals. ORU scored 40 of its points off SDSU turnovers and 52 points in the paint. Senior Janae Voelker led the charge on defense, swiping a career-high eight steals to go along with 11 rebounds and nine points. The opening half of play was back-and-forth, as ORU held a slim 42-41 advantage at the break. Up by two with 18:57 to play, the Golden Eagles began a 13-0 run to take a 15 point lead. Voelker sparked the run by grabbing a steal and knocking down a 3-pointer, while Bigham stole the ensuing inbounds pass and recorded the layup. The Jacks cut the lead to 12 with 14:50 remaining before Luper posted a three-point play and a layup on back-to-back possessions to push the advantage back to 17 points.

Among the Nation's Best
The Golden Eagles are at or near the top of several statistical categories in the NCAA for team and individual accomplishments. ORU leads the nation in steals with 15.4 per game, while ranking second in the country in scoring behind Oregon and ahead of UConn with 84.4 points per game, second in 3-point field goals per game (8.9), 12th in turnover margin (+6.3) and 28th in assists per game (15.9). Kevi Luper tops the NCAA in steals per game (4.4), while ranking fifth in scoring with 24.8 points per contest. Fellow freshman Jaci Bigham ranks 11th nationally with 3.1 3-pointers per game, while placing 20th in 3-point percentage (.437) and 30th with 5.3 assists per game.

The Kids are Alright
Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper make up the nation's highest-scoring backcourt, combining for 42.8 points per contest through the opening 21 games this season, which accounts for 48 percent of ORU's total offense. Luper, who scored a Summit League-record 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20, ranks fifth in the country with 24.8 points per game, while Bigham has chipped in 18.0 points per contest. Luper set a conference record by earning four consecutive Summit League Player of the Week awards and has won five total this season, while Bigham has also collected three for a total of eight of the 11 weekly accolades. The two freshman guards have led the Golden Eagles in scoring in all but one contest this season. Luper, a native of Adair, Okla., has scored in double figures in all 19 games played this season, including 30-point performances against South Dakota State, Southern Utah and No. 6 Baylor. Luper also set a school record with 12 steals against the Thunderbirds, and currently leads the nation with 4.4 steals per game. Bigham, a McAlester, Okla., product, has scored in double figures in the last 14 contests, averaging 21.7 points during the streak. Bigham averaged 31.0 points per game when Luper missed two contests at the end of December with an injury. Bigham and Luper combined for 54 points on Jan. 4 to help ORU hand South Dakota State its first-ever Summit League loss at Frost Arena, while combining for 49 points against the Jacks on Saturday. Bigham currently ranks sixth all-time at ORU for a single season with 66 3-pointers, while Luper ranks eighth for a single season with 84 steals.

Pyle'n On
Sophomore forward Jordan Pyle currently leads the team and Summit League in field goal percentage (62 percent) and offensive rebounds (69), while ranking second on the squad in rebounds per game (7.3). Pyle is also one of four ORU starters averaging double-figure points per game (11.5). Pyle has scored in double figures 13 times this season, while also posting four double-doubles on the year. Pyle has averaged 16.7 points while going 21-of-24 from the field in ORU's last three wins over IUPUI, Centenary and South Dakota State. Pyle secured her first double-double of the 2009-10 campaign in the season-opening win over UT-Pan American with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Pyle posted perfect performances from the field against UMKC on Dec. 7 and at IUPUI on Jan. 18. Pyle has also posted her first-career 3-pointers this season, going 6-of-16.

Early and Often
The Golden Eagles' new up-tempo style offense has been evident this season, as ORU ranks second in the nation in scoring with 84.4 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have posted three 100-point games, including a 109-62 victory over Southern Utah on Dec. 5, marking the first time in school history ORU has passed the century mark against a league opponent. ORU also surpassed the 100-point mark in back-to-back wins at Houston Baptist (101-59) and Sam Houston State (101-85). The Golden Eagles have also produced against high-caliber opponents, posting 80 points at No. 20 Kansas and at No. 17 Texas. ORU has knocked down 187 3-pointers this season, including a school-record 18 against UMKC. Kevi Luper, a freshman from Adair, Okla., has led the ORU scoring attack by averaging 24.8 points, which ranks fifth in the country. Luper set a Summit League record with 44 points against La Salle on Nov. 20. Three other ORU starters are averaging double-digit points per game, including Jaci Bigham (18.0), Jordan Pyle (11.5) and Janae Voelker (11.1) . If the Golden Eagles continue their high-scoring ways this season, they could be on track to breaking the school record for points per game, which was 81.2, set during the 1982-83 season. The 1982-83 squad is the only team in ORU history to average more than 80 points per contest. The most points an ORU team led by Jerry Finkbeiner has averaged is 68.0 during the 2005-06 season.

Record Watch
Senior Janae Voelker continues to climb the career charts at ORU, while freshmen Jaci Bigham and Kevi Luper have started their assault on the single-season marks. Voelker ranks third with 862 career rebounds and 10th with 1,273 points, needing 33 more to slide into ninth spot. Voelker also ranks ninth all-time with 181 steals and 10th with 470 made field goals. Luper currently ranks eighth for a single season with 84 steals, and needs 32 more to set a new ORU record. Bigham already ranks sixth for a single season with 66 3-pointers, while needing 18 more assists to move into the 10th spot.

ORU Versus the Summit League
The Golden Eagles are currently tied for the top spot at 8-2 in Summit League play this season, averaging 85.2 points to their opponents' 66.7 points per game. ORU cruised through the first two contests, defeating Southern Utah and UMKC by an average margin of 37 points. The Golden Eagles scored 109 points against the Thunderbirds, marking the first time ORU has surpassed the 100-point mark against a conference opponent. Against UMKC, the Golden Eagles knocked down a school-record 18 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles opened the new year by traveling to the Dakotas, dropping a heartbreaking 68-66 decision to North Dakota State before handing South Dakota State its first Summit League loss at Frost Arena by a score of 81-72. The Golden Eagles suffered a 74-72 loss at home against IPFW on Jan. 9 before bouncing back to defeat Oakland, Western Illinois, IUPUI, Centenary and South Dakota State by double figures. Four starters for ORU are currently leading the league in at least one category. Kevi Luper is averaging a league-best 35.8 minutes, while posting 24.8 points and 4.4 steals per game. Jaci Bigham is first in 3-pointers (66), 3-point percentage (.437) and assists per game (5.3). Janae Voelker tops the league in defensive rebounds (144) and ranks second with 8.5 rebounds per game. Jordan Pyle paces the conference in field-goal percentage (.622) and offensive rebounds (69). Since joining the conference prior to the 1997-98 season, ORU is 111-91 (.550) in regular-season play, 18-7 (.720) in tournament action and 129-98 (.568) overall.

No Place Like Home
The Golden Eagles back the belief about home field advantage, posting a 130-48 record (.730) inside the friendly confines of the Mabee Center since the 1996-97 season when head coach Jerry Finkbeiner took over the reigns of the program. ORU is currently 7-2 at home this season with dominating wins over UT-Pan American, La Salle, Southern Utah, UMKC, Evangel, Oakland and South Dakota State, where the Golden Eagles have averaged a margin of victory of 24.3 points. In the season-opening 98-65 win against UT-Pan American on Nov. 13, the Golden Eagles held the Lady Broncs to 34 percent shooting from the field and forced 31 turnovers. Against La Salle, the Golden Eagles held the Explorers to 32 percent from the field in the 76-55 victory. Against Southern Utah on Dec. 5, the Golden Eagles tallied 109 points and set a school record with 17 3-pointers. ORU surpassed that mark the next game against UMKC with 18 treys in a 99-72 victory. ORU is averaging 86.7 points at home this season compared to its opponent's 70.0 points per game.

ORU Basketball Coaches Hour
Join ORU coaches and athletes every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for the ORU Coaches Hour, broadcast live from Pepper's Grill at 91st & Delaware and carried on FM 97.1 "The Sports Animal". Tulsa radio personality Geoff Haxton hosts the one-hour call-in show. Men's head coach Scott Sutton and women's head coach Jerry Finkbeiner are regular guests.

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