The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 77 – South Dakota 62
Record: ORU (12-18), (5-11) – South Dakota (12-20), (5-11)
Location: PREMIER Center (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - South Dakota scored the first seven points of the game and forced Russell Springmann into an early timeout, but Oral Roberts responded by outscoring the Coyotes by 22 the rest of the way in route to a 77-62 victory on Friday in Sioux Falls.
 
ORU struggled to score early, shooting just 32% from the field and 27% from three. However, ORU maintained a slim lead at the half courtesy of a 9-2 advantage in points off turnovers and a 6-0 advantage on second chance points. South Dakota entered the game averaging 10.5 offensive rebounds per game but managed just one in the first half and five total in the game.
 
South Dakota's 62 points were the fewest ORU has allowed to a division one opponent this season, and the +7 rebound margin was also a season best against D-1 competition.
 
The Golden Eagles spent a large portion of the game struggling from beyond the arc before finding their stroke. With the game tied at 42 and 11 minutes left on the clock, Kareem Thompson took an inbounds pass and buried a corner three. That was followed by threes from Isaac McBride and Trey Phipps in the next 80 seconds, forcing a USD timeout. ORU would finish by making six of its last seven three-point attempts.
 
McBride was the game's top scorer with 23 points and he also dished out a game-high seven assists. Thompson notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards and Jailen Bedford poured in 19 points of his own. Phipps added five points and five rebounds and was +17 in just under 19 minutes of playing time.
 
South Dakota was led by 18 points from Kaleb Stewart while Paul Bruns led the Coyotes with nine rebounds.
 
Oral Roberts moves on to face top-seeded South Dakota State on Saturday in the 6pm game in the Summit League Tournament quarterfinals. The Golden Eagles and Jackrabbits split the regular season with the home team winning each game.