The Basics
Score: No. 2 North Dakota State 92, No. 3 Oral Roberts 72
Records: North Dakota State (29-4), Oral Roberts (19-12)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 2 North Dakota State breezed past No. 3 Oral Roberts, dominating the interior in a 92-72 win that sends the Bison to the Summit League Men's Championship finale.
 
NDSU started fast, leading by as many as 19 points in a first half that saw the Bison shoot 61.8 percent from the field. Sam Griesel equaled his career-high with 26 points and Grant Nelson chipped in with 20 points to make sure that lead never slipped as the Bison outscored ORU 58-30 in the paint and kept up the pressure after the break.
 
“Just a collective, terrific effort from our guys for the better part of 40 minutes,” NDSU head coach Dave Richman said. “Our guys were terrifically engaged that second half coming out of the gates and carried it over.”
 
The Golden Eagles got 28 points from Max Abmas and showed signs of a comeback late in the first half. They trailed by just nine points at the break, using a zone to briefly rattle an in-rhythm NDSU offense. An Abmas jumper cut the deficit to 48-40 a minute and a half after intermission, but the Bison were relentless in the paint and left ORU searching for answers. 
 
The massive disparity on the interior was built in large part by Griesel (11-16 2FG) and Nelson (9-10 2FG) using their size-advantage effectively around the basket. For his part, Griesel tied a career high in points and flirted with a historic triple-double before being removed late in the second half with the game seemingly in hand. He added nine rebounds and eight assists to his career-high point output.
 
“I just settled in in the first half,” Griesel said. “I know my teammates and coaches have the utmost confidence in me and I was just playing free.”
 
The Golden Eagles uncharastically struggled from distance for the second consecutive night, shooting just 35.3 percent. Isaac McBride chipped in 19 points, but no other Golden Eagle scored more than six. 
 
The Bison were off to the races early, making their first eight attempts from the field. Overall, they shot 60.3 percent as a team, a season-high mark against Division I opposition. 
 
NDSU will face No. 1 South Dakota State in the Summit League Men's Championship game set for 8 p.m. CT Tuesday night on ESPN2. 
 
Inside the Box Score

• ORU had four more offensive rebounds than the Bison (12-8), but were only able to turn that success into eight second-chance points. 
• The Bison did not venture out of the paint much, but when they did they were effective, shooting 41.7 percent from three (5-for-12). 
• Francis Lacis pulled down 10 rebounds, the fifth time this season he has hit double-digit rebounds.

News & Notes

• NDSU advanced to its fourth consecutive championship game, having cut down the nets in two of its previous three trips with both of those victories coming at the PREMIER Center.
• NDSU and SDSU have combined to win nine of the last 10 Summit League Championships titles, but will face off against each other for just the fourth time during that stretch.
• With the 20-point victory over ORU and SDSU's 23-point win over South Dakota earlier in the day, it marked the first time in tournament history both semifinal games were decided by 20 or more points. 
• ORU finished the year with 19 wins, its most in a single season over Mills five-year tenure.