The Basics
Score: No. 2 North Dakota State 75, No. 3 Oral Roberts 66
Records: North Dakota State (20-10, 13-3SL), Oral Roberts (21-9, 11-5 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D



SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the first time in program history, No. 2 North Dakota State will play for a Summit League Women's Basketball title after the Bison defeated No. 3 Oral Roberts 75-66 Monday at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

Abbie Draper and Heaven Hamling each had 18 points to lead NDSU as the Bison checked off another first with a semifinal win in Sioux Falls after three failed tries. Hamling also equaled her career-high with 11 rebounds and notched her second double-double of the season to help NDSU hold a 40-35 edge on the glass.

ORU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening two minutes before Draper got the Bison on the board with a pullup jumper. The Golden Eagles' advantage would not last long from there. By the end of the quarter, NDSU had built a 22-12 advantage after closing it on a 9-2 run.

The teams each scored 16 points in the second quarter, allowing NDSU to take a 38-28 halftime lead. Abby Schulte led the way with nine first-half points for the Bison while Udoumoh had 11 to lead all scorers. 

Udoumoh made her first eight shots from the floor and had 19 points by the end of the third quarter but the Golden Eagles could only trim one point off the double-digit halftime deficit.

Hamling and Draper both scored double figures in the second half with 11 and 10 points, respectively as the Bison senior never let the ORU get closer than six in the final 20 minutes.

Udoumoh finished with game-highs in points (21) and equaled Hamling with the rebounding lead at 11 to register her League-leading 13th double-double on the campaign. Taleyah Jones added 20 points and went 8-for-8 from the foul stripe.

The Bison will play top-seeded South Dakota State Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
 
Turning Point 
Clinging to a 21-20 lead, SDSU reeled off the next 12 points over a four-plus minute stretch in the second quarter to seize momentum and never relinquish the lead.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Ruthie Udoumoh logged her League-leading 13th double-double of the season, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds. She made her first eight shots from the floor before missing for the first time in the third quarter.
• Hamling had one previous career double-double, scoring 12 points to go with 10 rebounds at Minnesota on Nov. 15 earlier this season. She added 18 and equaled her career-high with 11 boards to her second of the campaign.
• ORU entered the contest as one of the top 10 scoring teams in the country, averaging 82.4 ppg, but the Bison held the Golden Eagles without a three-pointer for the first time this season (0-for-8).
• NDSU scored 32 of its 38 first-half points in the paint but only eight of its 37 second-half points came from there.

News & Notes 

• The Bison had dropped their first three semifinal appearances by an average of more than 20 points at the Summit League Women's Basketball Tournament. 
• Oral Roberts has now lost nine straight semifinal appearances dating back to 2010 when the program last made the title game. The Golden Eagles went 7-1 in their first eight semifinal tilts and won Summit League or Mid-Continent titles in 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
• ORU had won the only previous Summit League Tournament matchup between the two programs, taking a 2015 semifinal by the score of 71-58.