Dave Eggen/Inertia

Men's Basketball

No. 8 Oral Roberts uses second-half surge to take down No. 9 South Dakota

The Basics
Score: No. 8 Oral Roberts 77, No. 9 South Dakota 62
Records: Oral Roberts (12-18, 5-11 SL), South Dakota (12-20,5-11 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.



SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 8 seed Oral Roberts used a late second-half surge to defeat No. 9 seed South Dakota in the first round of the 2024 Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. Senior Issac McBride scored a game-high 23 points, Jailen Bedford added 19 and Kareem Thompson registered a double-double to lead ORU to a win in postseason play for the fifth straight year.  

The Coyotes and Golden Eagles exchanged early runs as both teams were meeting for the first time in the tournament. After those flurries by each squad, it was the ORU that would navigate its way to a three-point halftime lead, which was as many as eight before USD's Paul Bruns hit a nearly halfcourt-heave at the buzzer to make it a 28-25 contest.

The Coyotes pulled even at 42-42 on a pair of free throws from Stewart with 12:12 to play but the Golden Eagles responded by making a triple on each of their next three possessions to push the lead back to seven.

ORU had gone just 4-for-19 from beyond the arc before its late-game surge that saw the reigning champions bury six of its last seven from deep.

ORU's lead was never less than five the over the final 10 minutes. Bedford made back-to-back triples around the four-minute mark that gave ORU its first double-digit cushion of the contest. 

The Golden Eagles will take on No. 1 seed South Dakota State in Saturday's first quaterfinal at 6 p.m. CT. Those two teams have combined for the last five tournament titles with the Jackrabbits winning three (2019, 2020, 2022), while ORU has won twice (2021, 2023).
 
Turning Point
With the score tied 42-42 around the 11-minute mark of the second half, ORU made a triple on three consecutive possessions to break the game open and never trail again. 
 
Inside the Box Score
  • ORU started the game 4-for-19 from beyond the arc but finished going 6-of-7 in the final 11 minutes of the game. 
  • ORU's Kareem Thompson registered his fourth double-double of the season and second against the Coyotes, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
  • ORU's Issac McBride tallied a game-high 23 points, eclipsing 20-plus points for the 16th time this season. 
  • South Dakota's Kaleb Stewart had 18 points and a season-high six assists in his tournament debut. 
News & Notes
  • This is the first time that Oral Roberts and South Dakota have played in the Summit League Tournament.
  • Oral Roberts has made the semifinals in four consecutive tournaments and won titles in 2021 and 2023. 
  • South Dakota has lost its first games of the tournament in each of the past two seasons. 
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