The Basics
Score: No. 1 South Dakota State 72, No. 4 Oral Roberts 53
Records: South Dakota State (23-8), Oral Roberts (16-15)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 1 South Dakota State beat No. 4 Oral Roberts on Monday afternoon, riding its defense to a 72-53 win that sends the Jackrabbits to the Summit League Women's Championship title game. 
 
Myah Selland (16 points) and Paiton Burckhard (16 points) were joint top scorers in a typically-balanced effort from SDSU. The real star, however, was the Jackrabbits defense, which held the Golden Eagles to just 32.8 percent from the field.
 
“To get to a championship game is a good milestone,” head coach Aaron Johnston said. “Just to get to these games is a challenge and our team has handled a lot of challenges throughout the year.”
 
Freshman of the Year Tirzah Moore led ORU with 17 points and seven rebounds. 
 
It was a promising start for the Golden Eagles. Misti Cussen’s squad had fallen behind early in both of their matchups with SDSU this season, but held a 13-12 lead with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. The Jackrabbits, however, would put the clamps on the ORU offense for the rest of the half. 
 
ORU did not score in the final 5:41 of the first half, and extended that drought further after the break until Delaney Nix (9 points) hit a three pointer with 6:22 left in the third quarter. By that point, the Jackrabbits offense had come to life. SDSU pushed its lead to 46-23 on a putback by Tylee Irwin (9 points) with just over five minutes left in the quarter. 
 
The Golden Eagles were able to mount a min-comeback in the fourth quarter through Moore, who led a 10-2 run to slice the lead to 55-39. A Burckhard three on the following possession would snuff out the momentum.
 
ORU, however, frustrated the Jackrabbits in their own right throughout the game. SDSU was held to just 43.3 percent from the field, its third-lowest output against Summit League opposition this season.
 
“I thought Oral Roberts had a good plan,” Johnston said. “They really slowed the game down and took us out of transition.” 
 
Freshman guard Haleigh Timmer (12 points) played a key role spurring SDSU through that tough offensive start, scoring seven points in the first half off the bench. Johnston praised the role his bench played, especially early in the game.
 
The Jackrabbits move on to face the winner of No. 2 South Dakota and No. 3 Kansas City at 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday with the Summit League title at stake.
 
Turning Point
Tori Nelson drilled a corner three right out of the intermission, giving SDSU a 15-point lead. The early strike, coupled with ORU’s extended drought, made a comeback all that more difficult for the Golden Eagles. 
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Jackrabbits just edged out ORU’s physical front court on the glass, 39-36. 
• Trinity Moore scored eight points off the bench for the Golden Eagles, her second-highest point total in Summit League play this season.
• Selland continued her strong run of play lately, with six assists and four rebounds to go along with her 16 points. 

News & Notes

• South Dakota State heads to its fourth title game in the last five years and will look to win it for the first time since 2018.. 
• The Jackrabbits have now held their last five opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field. 
• ORU finished the year with its most wins (16) since 2018-19, and have now won at least one game in the Summit League tournament four out of the last five years.