BROOKINGS, S.D. – Jaci Bigham scored a career-high 34 points as Oral Roberts torched South Dakota State by a score of 81-72 on Monday night at Frost Arena.
The Golden Eagles (9-6, 3-1) handed the Lady Jacks their first Summit League loss inside the confines of Frost Arena. South Dakota State was 19-0 at home in conference play prior to Monday’s contest.
Bigham was 13-of-17 from the field, 6-of-7 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Bigham nearly posted a triple-double, handing out eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds. The freshman guard hit three treys in the second half, all answering brief Jackrabbit runs.
ORU kept a double-digit lead from the 12:04 mark in the first half until SDSU’s Ashley Eide converted a layup with 9.9 seconds remaining in the contest.
The Jacks closed the lead to 14 points with 4:32 to play, but Kevi Luper (Adair, Okla.) snapped the 5-0 run with two made free-throws. Luper, who finished with 20 points, five steals and three assists, came up big down the stretch, hitting back-to-back jumpers as the shot clock expired to keep SDSU at bay.
Jordan Pyle (Mustang, Okla.) recorded 14 points off 6-of-8 shooting from the field and pulled down a team-high nine boards.
Janae Voelker (Newton, Kan.) added eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.
The Golden Eagles dominated the first half of play, as South Dakota State never held a lead and only managed to tie the contest twice. ORU stormed out to a 29-19 advantage after the first eight minutes powered by an 8-0 run.
ORU pushed the lead to 15 points at the 5:20 mark on an 18-5 run, and extended its lead to 19 points at the 1:29 mark on back-to-back 3-pointers by Luper. Bigham sent the Golden Eagles to the locker room with the 19-point advantage with a layup at the buzzer.
ORU shot 65 percent (20-of-31) from the field in the first half and 70 percent (7-of-10) from 3-point range.
For the game, the Golden Eagles were 31-of-61 (51 percent) from the field, 10-of-23 (44 percent) from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 (90 percent) from the free-throw line.
ORU forced 23 turnovers off of 14 steals and out-rebounded SDSU by a slim 34-32 advantage.
Maria Boever led the Lady Jacks (7-7, 3-1) with 21 points, while Ketty Cornemann added 14 points.
The Golden Eagles return to play against IPFW on Saturday at the Mabee Center.
Story courtesy of ORU media relations.
