South Dakota State downed No. 4 Oral Roberts in the first semifinal game of the 2022 Summit League Tournament, 72-53.
Myah Selland dropped the first two points for the Jackrabbits just over a minute into the game, after some empty possessions for both teams. While ORU started a taller lineup, SDSU defended well, not taking long to come up with a block courtesy of Tori Nelson. Neither team was afraid of the battle in the paint, and the Golden Eagles had quick hands as they forced three turnovers through the first 7:30. As the first quarter wound down, the Jacks scored 6 straight points to regain the lead.
Pushing the lead to 8 (28-20), Haleigh Timmer scored her seventh point, provoking Misti Cussen of ORU to call a timeout near the 5-minute mark in the second quarter. Shortly after, Kallie Theisen pushed the lead to 10 at the charity stripe. The Jacks held a 12-point lead at half, 32-20.
Coming out of the half, Tori Nelson drilled a 3-pointer from the corner, putting the Jacks up 15. While ORU did go on a 10 point run, it was not enough to overcome SDSU’s strong defense, which was paired with 16 points each from Paiton Burckhard and Myah Selland.
For ORU, Tirzah Moore finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Katie Scott notched 8 points and 8 rebounds. Trinity Moore also netted 8 points for the Golden Eagles.
For SDSU, Haleigh Timmer and Tori Nelson combined for 23 points, while Tylee Irwin scored 9. Nelson also grabbed 7 boards.
In Misti Cussen’s 10th season, ORU finished 16-15 overall, and 10-8 in Summit League Play.
SDSU will face the winner of South Dakota and Kansas City in tomorrow’s 1pm CT title game.